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A Snapshot of China’s Distant Water

Fishery
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A recap of China’s DWF development

• Due to the increasing demand, main economic fish resources in
China’s domestic water have drastically declined since the 1970s.

• With the aim to protect domestic resources and meet market

demand, China started to:
• Gradually set measures to control domestic fishing capacity
• Develop aquaculture
• Develop distant water fishery: in 1985, China’s first distant
water fleet headed to west Africa.
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1500
2500
3000

2000

0
500
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
Vessel number 1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Catch (1000 tonne)

2009
2010
2011
2012
Chinese DWF fleet evolution (1985 to 2019)

2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
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• By 2019, China owns 2701 distant water fishing vessels and the
total catch in 2019 was 2.17 million tones.

• Chinese vessels are fishing in 42 countries’ EEZ and 7

RFMOs‘ jurisdiction, also in the high sea of Pacific, Indian Ocean,
Atlantic and Antarctic.
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China's seafood supply and demand
• China is the biggest seafood production (aquaculture + fishing),
consumption, processing and export country (major export
destinations including Japan, USA, Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, EU).
• In 2019, total catch of China’s DWF was 2.17million tonne，
accounted for 6.6% of China’s total seafood productions (coastal
fishery + distant water fishery + marine aquaculture).
• In 2017，59.3% (1.23 million tones) of China’s DWF catch were
transported back to China, while the other 40.7% (0.85 million tones)
were directly sold to other markets. Chinese government aims to
encourage at least 65% of total catch transported back to China by
2020.
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Problems Subsidy - stimulate

overcapacity

Limited management
Overcapacity - capacity comparing
Overfishing with industry scale –
IUU fishing

Pressures on
fishery resources
and marine
ecosystem
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Policy progress that tackle the IUU and
sustainability issue
• The 13th Five-year Plan for DWF development (2016-2020)
• No more than 3000 fleets by end of 2020.
• No permits for new companies and new fleets.
• Combat IUU activities.

• Set up the “DWF Personnel Black List System” in 2017

• Put Captains and company managers on the black list if they commited IUUs.
• People that in the black list are prohibited to engage in distant water fishery in a
certain period.
Policy progress that tackle the IUU and 8

sustainability issue
• The DWF Management Regulation has been revised
• Has entered into force since 1st April of 2020
• The State supports and promotes sustainable DWF development, and
establishes a modernized DWF production system with reasonable
scale, scientifically layout ...
• Conducting of the “DWF personnel black list system”.
• Cancelling of yearly subsidy to vessels that commit IUU.
• Higher entering standard for the industry:
• Status of fishing resources in proposed fishing area, current fishing
production and assessment on future potential is required.
• The company management was not on the “black list” in the past 3
years.
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Policy progress that tackle the IUU and

sustainability issue
• The Administrative Measures of the Vessel Monitoring System has
been revised
• Has entered into force since 1st Jan 2020.
• The frequency of vessel’s position reporting was changed from every 4
hours to “no less than once an hour”.
• Establish a warning system to prevent vessels from fishing in forbidden
area such as a third countries’ EEZs.
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Policy progress that tackle the IUU and

sustainability issue
• The Rules for High Seas Transshipment has been announced
• Part of the rules has been effective since it announced in April
2020, while other parts will enter into force on 1st Jan 2021.
• Transshipment must be reported before and after the operation.
• Transshipment must be conducted with observers on board.
• Take measures to prevent pollution during the transshipment
operation.
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Policy progress that tackle the IUU and

sustainability issue
• The Management Measures for High Sea Squid Fishery has
been announced
• Chinese flag vessels should fish moratorium during 1st July and
30th September in the South West Atlantic (between 32°S-44°S
and 48°W-60°W), and in the East Pacific (between 5°N-5°S and
110°W-95°W) from 1st September to 30th November. This measure
has entered into force this month, July 2020.
• Phase out trawlers from the South West Atlantic.
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Witness the lawless sea in SW Atlantic
• An extended
continental shelf area
with shallow water.

• A popular fishing
ground especially for
squid but a
management vacuum
area.

• Dozens of trawlers
fishing all year in the
area.

• Hundreds of squid
jiggers during the
squid season.
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Two weeks on the sea in Nov 2020
• We met 18 Chinese trawlers, 2 Spanish trawlers.
• We documented trawling activity and transshipment.
• Interviewed 7 Chinese Captains and 1 Korean Captain.
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Findings
• Silent vessels
• Almost all fishing vessels turned off their AIS, made it very hard to
monitoring their activities.

• Disappearing fish
• Shared feeling among Captains about “no fish” “bad resources”, but
they just stay there waiting for better luck or keep trawling what ever
they can get.
• There were Captains mentioned the low water temperature and iceberg
floated in the area in 2018 and 2019 – which they thought was a cause
of poor squid catch.
• Worrying working condition 16
• Most of Captains and
crews we interviewed will
stay at sea for two years,
or at least one year, even
there is no or very few fish.
• There are many young
workers from South East
Asia, they may already or
will stay at sea for even
longer.
• Limited support from
fishing companies.
• They seldom go to ports,
each vessel is like an
isolated island.
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• Sea floor looks like desert
What’s next for China?
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- Still big room to improve its DWF management

- Effective enforcement of policies and regulations
- Continue to combat IUU
- Improve information exchange with coastal countries
- Transparency

- Eliminate harmful subsidy to Chinese DWF industry

- Support a robust “Global Ocean Treaty” (BBNJ) that can deliver

the vision of at least 30% of the ocean fully protected by 2030.
Thanks!