Continued Violence over Illegal Fishing

Whether it’s the fishermen themselves or authority figures policing the area, violence continues to breach waters all over the world due to illegal fishing.  Most recently, on April 3^rd, a Chinese fisherman was shot and killed off the coast of the Republic of Palau, a nation located some 500 miles east of the Philippines.  Officers fired at the fisherman’s boat as he was thought to be fishing illegally.  The man bled to death before he could be taken to the hospital.  He was not the only incident in the area; twenty Chinese fishermen in total were found that day after the discovery of a “mother ship”.  The Republic of Palau is one of many places in which Chinese fishermen have been known to fish illegally.  There has been continued conflict in areas such as the Yellow Sea, South Korean waters. 

Why enter foreign waters?

One would assume a simple solution to these conflicts would be for the Chinese fishermen to fish in their own waters, rather than stirring up trouble in the waters of other nations.  However, these areas are very important to fishermen.  For example, the Yellow Sea is important fishing and crab grounds, therefore frequently inhabited by Chinese boats, which in turn leads to disputes over fishing rights and often violent encounters.  So why do they do it? Well, in general there is an expanding demand for seafood in China due to the country’s rapid economic growth, meanwhile pollution and overfishing have killed off most of the fish stock near their coast, causing them to pursue fish elsewhere.  Also, Chinese fish farms are seeing a huge decline in productivity, once again due to pollution being poured into the ocean from port and petrochemical facilities. Because of these issues, it is vital for fishermen to fish in foreign waters if they wish to meet their demand.  Given this, it is understandable that the fishermen want to look further into other waters, however, it is necessary for them to follow the laws and requests of those nations, otherwise this violence will not only continue, but most likely worsen. 

The Yellow Sea: fish ground or battlegrounds?

December 12, 2011 marked a violent incident, which only further intensified the ongoing issue of violent encounters between Chinese fishermen and South Korean police on the Yellow Sea.  On that day, upon boarding the illegal fishermen’s boat, a South Korean coast guard officer was stabbed to death by one of the fishermen.  It is said that when the South Korean commandos boarded the ship, the captain of the ship broke a windowpane and repeatedly stabbed the officer with a piece of glass, killing him and wounding his fellow officer.  The officers seized the ship and the nine sailors aboard.  This type of violent activity is only expanding.  It is said that in the past these illegal Chinese fishermen would only fish on foggy days or at night and be gone by daybreak as to avoid being caught and the resulting conflicts, however, now they group together, creating small armadas, and fight back to resist arrest or gang up on police through the use of violence. 

Attempting to create peace:

After the December 12^th incident, the Chinese Agriculture Ministry sent an official letter to the Korean Embassy.  They stated that they had dispatched two teams to oversee fishing in the area and that they are increasing their regulations and instructions for fishing boats.  According to the Korean Times, “the letter also said three Chinese fishing boats were fined 100,000 yuan ($15,868) each last December for fishing without permits in Korean waters”.  Although this seems like such a small step, it is a vast improvement in the way China is dealing with this issue, compared to its past of being known to brush over such incidents rather than take charge and do something about it.

What do you think?

Violence is never the correct answer to resolve any issue, and can get very complicated when it involves various nations.  Do you think China will further step in to stop its fishermen from illegally entering foreign waters, or will the situation continue to worsen until desperate measures are needed?

Please feel free to post your opinions and reactions related to this issue.

Could the tension in South China Sea cause military involvement?

One Fish, Two Fish, Vietnamese Fish, Chinese Fish

What happened?

On Thursday March 15, 2012, 21 Vietnamese were detained for illegal fishing around islands in the South China Sea; however, the Vietnamese believe that they were fishing in their own waters and not outside of their boundaries.

Vietnam and China both have claims in the South China Sea and to islands and reefs. Because of this, many feuds occur between fishermen as the industry is very competitive and there is profit potential.

As seen in the map below, the territory boundaries are hard to read and overlap. Because they are so vaguely defined, situations like this one will continue to rise and cause problems for the governments holding territories as well as the fishing industry. The South China Sea is an area of growing concern over conflicting territorial claims, piracy, poaching, resource depletion, pollution, drug trafficking, illegal migration, and terrorism threats.

How does China see the situation?

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, more than 100 Vietnamese fishing boats trespass in the Parcel Islands where they take part in illegal fishing. Because the Chinese aren’t able to keep them out of their territory, the authorities had to investigate this Vietnamese boat with the 21 fisherman and hold them to the laws so that this may serve as a warning to other trespassing fisherman and keep the Chinese in the fishing industry a market leader. With the Vietnamese fishing in the Chinese territory, they are overstepping on China’s control and maritime rights, and because of this the Vietnamese wanting to be released unconditionally most likely won’t happen.

Since the Vietnamese believe they did nothing wrong, they probably won’t take any steps to ensure that active procedures will be taken to prevent the fishermen from trespassing. Chinese authorities aren’t trying to bully Vietnam, but rather they are enforcing the law and providing a logical consequence for the illegal action. Even though it costs the Chinese money to enforce and detain the Vietnamese, they are sending a message while protecting an industry that many of its citizens actively participate in and earn an income from.

What’s the Vietnamese side of the story?

According to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, China violated their sovereignty. Vietnam insists that China release these 21 fishermen and their vessels. In addition to releasing their people, Vietnam also is urging China to stop detaining the Vietnamese fishermen in the waters of Vietnam.

How does a Vietnamese fisherman feel about this?

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry issued a statement demanding the release of the fishermen whom they claimed were being held for a payment of $11,000. The Vietnamese government told the families of the fishermen to not pay while the government argues to China for their release. With this recent incident, there has been a lot of pressure put on local people, says fisherman Le Van Loc from Quang Ngai province.  He had been detained by the Chinese while he was sailing near the islands in 2010. Loc says, as a Vietnamese citizen, he is angry because the islands belong to Vietnam. He says families are told not to pay the ransom while the government demands the release of those detained (Voice of America). This had made life difficult for families emotionally as well as financially.

Have there been any attempts to resolve this?

                This incident is the most recent in an ongoing disagreement about territory in the South China Sea. Last year, both sides signed a series of maritime agreements in hopes of resolving tensions.  However, Vietnam has continued to protest Chinese activity on or near the islands.

As stated by Reuters, “A representative from Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry met with the Chinese embassy to give them a diplomatic note outlining Vietnam’s position, and will continue the fight to resolve this matter and protect the legitimate rights of the Vietnamese fishermen.”  Because the fishing industry is growing and Vietnam will go after some of China’s market share, in order to resolve this situation, more needs to be done.

A Possible Resolution

                China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all have claims to territory in the South China Sea. China’s claim is the largest, covering a big U-shape over most of the sea’s 648,000 sq. miles (Reuters). But just because China has the most, doesn’t mean it has all of it. These nations should all meet in attempt to better define borders of their territories as well as ways to police the borders. Unfortunately, China refuses to handle any disputes with more than one nation present. With one-on-one meetings, it seems that China has a “divide-and-conquer” attitude to the fishing industry.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/china-vietnam-idUSL3E8EM3YJ20120322

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/China-Urges-Vietnam-to-Stop-Illegal-Poaching-Near-Disputed-Waters--143900166.html

http://www.southchinasea.org/

China's imports sinking Brazil's fishing sector

"Seoul Set to Combat Illegal Chinese Fishing"

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that South Korea is stepping up to the plate to combat illegal Chinese fishing by strengthening their naval defense and implementing harsher penalties among offenders of the law. This new focus for South Korea was in response to the fatal stabbing of a South Korean coastguard by a Chinese fisherman. South Korea's involvement will help reduce illicit activity that the Chinese do in international waters, such as killing sharks for shark fin soup. Read the full article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203391104577122010640638178.html

Shark Finning in China

            In China’s semi- socialist, semi-totalitarian economy, one would think that China would have their undesirable reputations under control and in sync with other worldly moral views. Surprisingly, China is proud of practicing an injustice in which other countries see as a disgusting and selfish act: The act of shark finning.

The Shark Fin Craze

           

            Shark finning is a brutal yet profitable “practice of global trade in which the fins of sharks are typically hacked off a live shark” (NYTimes) only to be thrown back into the water finless, leaving it to die slowly as it sinks to the bottom of the sea. You may wonder what makes this brutal practice so attractive to these Chinese fishermen? Simply put, MONEY!
            Shark fins can be sold for $300 per pound. With each shark fin weighing around 1/8 of a pound, each shark fin equates to roughly $40. Further on down the trading line, shark fin soup, with only one shark fin, can be ultimately sold to the end consumer in a restaurant for a whopping $100!

            If China’s reputation is so bad, why does China refuse to regulate this detrimental practice? Reasoning is because shark fin is a status of wealth and a mark of tradition in China, and used as a commodity in shark fin soup. Whereas the fins are largely tasteless, they are valued for their texture. They also provide many benefits to its consumers as it allegedly boosts sexual potency, enhances skin quality, increases one’s energy, prevents heart disease, and lowers one’s cholesterol.

            With China’s economy on the rise, more affluent people can afford to purchase this symbol of a luxurious life, directly causing the demand for shark fins to increase. This century long tradition is profitable to the fishermen and businesses of China, further contributing to their superior economic status. Because of this, China’s government refuses to implement any laws that ban shark finning.

Laws Opposing Shark Finning

           

            In 2000, the U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act made an effort to curtail this practice. This law “restricts shark finning in all federal waters... It also calls for an international effort to ban shark finning globally. The first international ban on finning was instated in 2004 with sponsorship from the United States, the European community, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Trinidad and Venezuela” (TreeHugger). Notice that this international ban does not include China, now accountable for 95% of shark fin consumption (China.org.cn). “It is estimated that 100 to 200 million sharks annually are killed for their fins alone” (Sharkfriends.com).

             Few countries have actually banned fining entirely, and many more need to be encouraged to enact legislation. Even though many Asian countries oppose shark finning, “laws can help by curbing access to the fins that are sold. For instance, Hawaii has outlawed selling shark fin soup and California is in the process of approving a ban on selling shark fins”(AnimalPlanet).

            As a result of pressure from opposing countries, China agreed to “not land shark fins that weigh more than 5 percent of the ‘dressed’ weight of the sharks: that is, the weight of the carcass after the removal of the head and innards” (sharksavers.org). Little by little, more shark protections are being proposed and passed throughout the world.

The Problem

           

            The problem in dealing with legislation is that the practice of catching people actually finning sharks is difficult without enough law enforcers. “Once they are instituted, enforcement of these regulations must occur to ensure compliance” (Sharksavers.org). The Chinese government lacks adequate enforcement because the costs of supplying these officials are outweighed by the benefits they reap from it. In addition, bribery and corruption are common which makes it easier for these poachers to acquire these valuable fins to trade.

            “Sharks, as predators of the sea, play a vital role in regulating the ecological balance, particularly the health of important commercial fish species, population balance, and protection of coral reefs” (JournalOnline). This profitable trade is blinding China of the side effects that this practice can have to the world’s food chain. "Shark finning is not only cruel; it is irresponsible and unsustainable fishing at its highest degree. In spite of this, it has been close to impossible to attain any international binding management and conservation measures to curtail this practice” (AnimalPlanet).

WildAid

            On September 22^nd, 2011, a charity program called WildAid launched a charity campaign to persuade Chinese people to give up this delicacy. This campaign is led by NBA star Yao Ming, who is an advocate to reduce animal cruelty. WildAid reports that the shark fin market is estimated to have grown around 5% per year, and this number is only going to increase as the Chinese become more affluent. In addition, WildAid reports that 95% of all shark fin is consumed within China (WSJ). This fact proves how oblivious and selfish China is for continuing to legalize this practice. WildAid is striving to reduce the demand for shark fin soup by educating people. They are sponsoring public commercials in China targeted towards all consumers, which show hidden footage of shark finning to convey the message across to all individuals to not participate in this practice.

Potential Solution

             

            In my opinion, Chinese people will never be persuaded to stop eating shark fin soup without the power of the law against them. Because the Chinese government refuses to ban this practice, I think it may be more reasonable to boycott this industry. Many businesses, including the three largest supermarket chains of Shanghai, have taken the initiative to take shark fins off of their shelves and menus in hopes of creating nationwide awareness. “Meanwhile, Chinese restaurant chain South Beauty also removed it from its menus in November. In the U.S., Hawaii, California, Washington and Oregon have enacted legislation that banned the trade, sale and possession of the ingredient” (WSJ).

            I think this luxurious item should have limited availability, which would indubitably reduce the risk of shark extinction. Instead of consuming this meal regularly, I think shark fin soup should be limited to wedding banquets and high-end restaurants to help preserve the rare identity of this gelatinous delicacy.

            “This is a peer-based practice, and therefore it is the peer-group, not the government, that will most effectively disenfranchise the practice” (Tyee). By enacting laws in which it is illegal for the end suppliers to deliver shark fin soup to its customers, demand will decrease, thus reducing the attractively of this profitable market. Hopefully legislation will prevail in the near future before it’s too late. 

China's Wage Hikes Ripple Across Asia

"Global companies already have been facing higher labor prices in China over the past year, despite a weak global economy, as workers demand a greater share of the country's economic boom. In recent months, the pressure also has intensified in countries across Southeast Asia that have marketed themselves as alternatives for companies seeking to escape China's rising costs, leaving those companies now with fewer places to move."

Read more at the Wall Street Journal:
Wage Hikes Ripple

Because of the wage hike, governments and companies are being forced to address worsening labor demands and income gaps, which are growing wider in many parts of the region and causing labor unrest. How do you think the Chinese government will address this?