Another attempt at 'smoke screen' by China? Continued Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated fishing in IOR

There have been innumerable reports of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by China over the years across the globe, and the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, has been no exception. 

They too have been victims of Chinese IUU fishing. The ever-increasing number of Chinese fishing vessels operating in the Indian Ocean and Indo-pacific, with utter disregard for the responsible harnessing of marine resources has caused consternation across many national capitals in the Indian Ocean and beyond.

To probably try and undertake some ‘damage control’, the Chinese authorities recently issued a fishing moratorium, banning fishing on the high seas of the North Indian Ocean and Southwest Atlantic from July 1 to September 30. 

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What initially appeared to be a voluntary imposition has emerged just as another CCP smoke screen. If inputs/ reports from various agencies that monitor IUU fishing around the globe are to be believed, there are many Chinese Fishing Vessels still indulging in IUU fishing in the region. These vessels are also a major source of marine pollution. 

However, their ‘IUU’ status is in itself probably another attempt at ‘smokescreen diplomacy’ practiced by the CCP government. Many of these vessels, based on online studies and reports, are also used for intelligence gathering and surveillance. And it is no surprise that these boats are being (remotely) controlled by the various provincial agencies that answer to Zhongnanhai.

According to the 2020 FAO report “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture”, China reported about 2.26 Million tonnes from its ‘distant water fishery’ but provided details on species and fishing area only for 40% of its distant water catch”. 

It has not divulged 60% of its catch from the distant waters data. A significant part of this 60% comes from its IUU fishing at a high economic cost to littoral nations. Recently a news portal brought out in an article that China is the source of 80-95 % of the illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific. The ‘IUU’ fishing index (which maps the scale of illegal fishing activity globally) ranks China as the worst offender vis-à-vis illegal fishing globally.

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China has more or less perfected the art of ‘Smoke Screens’; from diverting the attention of disillusioned Chinese citizens to luring developing/underdeveloped nations into debt-trap to now making false fishing moratorium notifications. The presence of Chinese trawlers in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal is a violation of the sovereignty of littorals in the region. 

Though ostensibly these Chinse vessels claim to operate on the high seas, they actually undertake surreptitious fishing in the EEZ of the Indian Ocean littoral nations. Many of the smaller island nations are helpless to take effective action to view capacity constraints and end up being mute spectators as China plunders its national resources and wealth. Further, the role of the Chinese Maritime Militia in fishing camouflage is well established. 

It was recognised by the PLA Daily in 2014 when it quoted that, "Putting on camouflage, they qualify as soldiers; taking off the camouflage, they become law-abiding fishermen". The PLA controls these "fishermen", and their objectives overlap with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agenda of "ocean grabbing", a method of fishing in which the small fishers of the victim countries are denied the marine resources of their own EEZ.

There is an urgent need to work out enforcement protocols in the future with a specific emphasis on illegal fishing. Whilst, the affected countries may work out certain mitigating measures, China must also take responsibility and ensure heavy penalties for non-adherence to the fishing moratorium that was issued by their government, or else like every time the world will call CCP Government’s bluff.