A week after Chinese Navy warships arrived in South Africa on a so-called “friendly visit”, the South African Navy arrested fishing boat captains and detained 100 crew aboard three Chinese boats carrying 600 tons of fish in what authorities describe as a sudden influx of illegal fishing activity.
Chinese fish consumption is twice the global average and with Chinese waters drastically over fished, fishermen and fleets must travel further from home. Chinese fleets are increasingly engaging with local authorities — sometimes with Chinese government protection — according to Shanghaiist.
By some estimates, about a quarter of fish are caught illegally in African waters, Reuters reported. Illegal fishing costs the industry about $23 billion a year worldwide.
Earlier this month, South African authorities pursued nine Chinese fishing vessels in marine protected waters. Simultaneously a Chinese naval escort task force of warships was en route to South Africa for a May 16 visit to the Simon’s Town naval base, MaritimeExecutive reported.
Also in May, the South African Navy started investigating a fleet of at least 28 Chinese trawlers allegedly operating illegally off the Wild Coast, BusinessDayLive reported.
South African local anglers with smartphones and ship-tracking apps helped become the eyes and ears of the South African fisheries authorities, reporting that Chinese vessels switch off their assessment, inventory, and monitoring (AIM) beacons at night while off the Wild Coast, according to the report.
Last week, Chinese fishing boats were observed Friday in South Africa’s 200 nautical mile economic exclusion zone. When South African officials asked the ships to sail to port they attempted to flee but were eventually captured, Reuters reported.
Two of the three Chinese vessels played cat and mouse on the high seas with the South African Navy before they were eventually intercepted and sent to East London, according to Bomikazi Molapo, a spokesman for the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, AlgoaFM reported.
Fish and gear were found on both vessels. En route to East London a third Chinese fishing vessels was spotted and also instructed to sail to port. The boats had 600 tons of squid and other species, and no permits.
Crew members were detained on the ships and captains face fines and possible jail time if found guilty, Reuters reported.
The capture of the vessels shows South Africa is serious about protecting its territorial and exclusive economic zone, said Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana. “We cannot tolerate the plundering of our marine resources, which are a source of food security … We are also looking into the sudden influx of these vessels in our waters.”
Chinese fishing boats have also been caught fishing illegally in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Argentina. According to Shanghaiist, “the major force driving Chinese fishermen seems not to be government directives, but insatiable domestic demand for seafood”:
In March, the Argentinian Coast Guard sank a Chinese trawler fishing illegally off its coast. A week later, Indonesia seized a Chinese fishing boat operating within its 200 nautical mile zone. As it was towing the boat back to port, a Chinese Coast Guard ship approached and rammed the Chinese fishing boat, forcing Indonesian sailors to let the boat free.
In response, Indonesia blew up 23 foreign trawlers seized for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters, hoping to send a message to China.
For years, China has been accused of using its fishing boat fleet to secure its claim in the South China Sea, paying captains extra for fishing in disputed areas and even sending them to clash with rival fishermen from Vietnam and the Philippines.
