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Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the West (Yellow) Sea Northern Limit Sea

A blue crab war is raging in the West (Yellow) Sea as the July spawning season nears, yet worsening inter-Korean relations and mounting military tensions have left Seoul all but ignoring the severe situation of illegal fishing by Chinese boats.

The South Korean government sent a message of strong protest to China and called for appropriate measures on illegal fishing in the wake of a recent incident in which South Korean fisherman seized two illegal Chinese fishing boats south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. Seoul is also expected to demand measures from Chinese authorities at a ninth bilateral cooperation meeting on fishing issues to be held in South Korea in late June or early July.

Beijing has said it will continue working to enforce strict punishments against illegal fishing while providing guidance and education to fisherman. But the approach has had very limited effectiveness so far, with even Beijing lamenting the limits to its ability to crack down.

The biggest issue appears to be the lack of proactive efforts by Seoul - a problem that stems for the most part from worsening ties with Pyongyang. Illegal Chinese fishing boats have worked mainly in the waters around the NLL, decimating the blue crab population with dragnets. At a distance of just 1.4 to 2.5 km from the NLL, the area north of Yeonpyeong Island is vulnerable to North Korean coastal artillery and warships. As a result, Navy and Coast Guard crackdowns on illegal fishing have been limited. Military tensions have been particularly high lately as inter-Korean relations have deteriorated and all dialogue channels have been shut off.

Chinese boats have taken advantage of the fact that fishing around the NLL is all but closed off to South and North Korean boats. Typically, they have worked illegally in the waters between the NLL and Yeonpyeong Island for days at a time, fleeing into North Korean waters once signs of a Navy or Coast Guard enforcement operation are detected. The number of Chinese fishing boats detected near the NLL on the Navy’s radar network between April and June has risen steadily for the past several years from 172 per day on average in 2013 to 212 in 2014 and 329 in 2015. The numbers show a particular spike in illegal Chinese fishing since 2010, when inter-Korean relations first started heading downhill under the Lee Myung-bak presidency (2008-13).

Experts and fishermen are stressing the need for dialogue so that both South and North can crack down on illegal Chinese fishing. In June 2004, the two sides agreed on “thorough controls” to prevent confrontations and unintended clashes between warships in the West Sea, including the use of an international merchant vessel network of trunked radio and exchanges of information on movements by illegal fishing vessels from third countries. Both sides were able to share information and work together on stopping illegal Chinese fishing boats as a result.

By Kim Jin-cheol, staff reporter

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