Dark fishing fleets are especially worrying because they ignore catch limits, driving marine populations to drastically low levels and depleting neighboring stocks as well. Asian fish stocks face a looming crisis, as scientists warn regional fisheries may collapse due to long-term overfishing and climate change. Sadly, with Chinese fleets monopolizing seafood catches off North Korea, coastal villages are forced to choose between dangerous voyages and malnutrition.Ĭhinese dark fishing fleets off North Korea also present a challenge for regional marine sustainability. They make a depressing scene - battered wooden boats filled with starved corpses. Most of these North Korean boats are not equipped for long journeys, and many end up arrested by Russian authorities or as wrecked “ ghost ships." Japanese officials report that nearly 600 ghost ships were discovered between 20. North Korean fishing boats cannot compete with the modern Chinese trawlers that fish in North Korean waters, and therefore are pushed to fish in Russian and Japanese maritime zones. Seafood is an important source of nutrients for many in North Korea, where 10 million people suffer from food insecurity. In addition to violating sanctions, dark fleets exacerbate North Korea’s dire humanitarian situation by taking away catches that impoverished North Koreans rely on for food. The UN panel on sanctions compliance claims North Korea made $120 million in 2018 through selling fishing rights, and even continued to profit from fishing permits during the height of the pandemic. Chinese fishing companies involved in buying fishing permits undermine this effort, directly financing the North Korean government and its $642 million annual nuclear program budget. UN sanctions implemented in 2017 forbid the export of North Korean seafood products as part of measures designed to discourage nuclear proliferation. Illegal fishing off of North Korea has several adverse effects for the region.įirst and foremost, Chinese illegal fishing fleets support the Kim regime and its nuclear ambitions. Following this, Reuters reported a significant drop in the number of Chinese ships visible on commercial AIS platforms outside of China. China Central Television (CCTV) released a report last year arguing that foreign intelligence agencies use AIS data to cause “serious harm to national security.” The government also enacted the “Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China” in 2021, limiting the data that can be shared outside of China, via AIS or other methods. Concerningly, China has recently taken steps to demonize AIS and restrict the sharing of AIS data. ![]() The International Maritime Organization requires all vessels over 300 gross tons travelling internationally to broadcast AIS, but vessels involved in illegal fishing often turn off their transmitters in order to avoid having their activities tracked. Approximately one third of China’s distant-water fleet is involved in this conduct-but most of them are never caught.Įxperts refer to them as “dark ships” because they are impossible to track via Automatic Identification System (AIS). To evade UN sanctions forbidding its export of seafood products, North Korea sells squid fishing permits to Chinese companies, who send out droves of boats to fish in North Korea’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Nowhere is the dark side of fishing more illicit or mysterious than in North Korean waters.
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