China actively engages in international fisheries governance

Editor's note: Li Linlin is a researcher at the China Institute of Urbanization, Zhejiang University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

According to "The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024—Blue Transformation in Action" released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on June 7, global capture fisheries production remains stable, but sustainability of fishery resources is a cause for concern.

World capture fisheries produced 92.3 million tonnes in 2022, with 79.7 million tonnes of aquatic animals caught in marine areas. The fraction of marine stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels decreased to 62.3 percent in 2021, 2.3 percent lower than in 2019. 

Overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, marine environmental pollution, climate change, and other issues remain grave threats to the sustainable use of global fishery resources and the healthy development of marine ecosystems.

China's distant-water fisheries began in 1985. In 30 years, China developed into one of the world's major nations engaging in distant-water fishing. In 2022, China accounted for 14.3 percent of global capture fisheries production, becoming the top capture producer.

Underpinned by the "Maritime Power" strategy, China has successively formulated and released the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Marine Economy (2016-2020)" and the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Marine Economy (2021-2025)" to enhance the scale and quality of the marine economy and promote high-quality development of the marine economy.

In October 2023, China launched the Belt and Road Blue Cooperation Initiative, calling for all parties to pool efforts to jointly protect and sustainably utilize the oceans. Regarding fishery development, the initiative encourages developing sustainable fisheries, reinforcing the protection of endangered marine species and critical habitats to conserve marine biodiversity and resilience, enhancing the management of marine litter and micro plastics, and strengthening ocean-based climate action, among others.  

In order to regulate the development of distant-water fisheries, China has made a series of efforts in recent years, including formulating laws, regulations, and policies against IUU fishing, strengthening industry compliance, and taking part in international cooperation.

First, the Fisheries Law and the Regulations on the Management of Distant-Water Fisheries explicitly include provisions related to combating IUU fishing, with severe penalties for violations.

Second, by implementing the vessel monitoring system on distant-water fishing vessels, intensifying the enforcement of maritime law, and strengthening inspections of incoming fishing vessels, China has bolstered industry compliance in distant-water fisheries. As the largest distant-water fishing base in China, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, has compiled guidelines for the district's 343 distant-water fishing vessels in areas such as production safety, conservation of marine biological resources, and ecological and environmental protection, actively avoiding international fishing disputes.

Third, China has actively participated in the activities of several Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and signed fisheries cooperation agreements with multiple countries and international organizations to share information and conduct joint enforcement operations to combat IUU fishing activities.

As the tension in global marine fishery resources grows, China's distant-water fishing still faces major challenges in sustainable management and environmental protection. By implementing the concept of a "maritime community with a shared future", deepening exchanges and cooperation in the fisheries under the Belt and Road Initiative, and partaking in the formulation of international standards and rules in fisheries, China hopes to build multi-level global fisheries partnerships, actively engage in international fisheries governance, and demonstrate its commitment as a major power.

(Cover via CFP)