China has proposed a massive overhaul to its nationwide fisheries law, which, if passed, would align the nation’s fishing industry more with the goals outlined in the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA).
The PSMA aims to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices across the globe; China ratified the agreement in April.
According to Liu Xinzhong, head of the fisheries bureau at the Chinese agriculture ministry, revising the law was a necessary step to take if it wanted to align with the PSMA. He explained that the new law will result in improved port management and interdepartmental cooperation while also modernizing China’s fisheries industry, adding that China’s formal accession to the PSMA was important to the country’s “continuous fight” against IUU fishing.
The revisions would alter nearly every existing article to the country’s fisheries law to varying degrees. More specifically, they call for the digitization of the country’s fishing ports, the introduction of fishery insurance policies, and a list of the types of fishing gear that are permitted for use.
As a result, environmentalists and industry experts have largely welcomed the news as a way to reduce the scale of China’s fleet and increase transparency, but have questioned some of the language in the proposals, the feasibility of the proposals, and whether they go far enough in the fight against IUU fishing.
“For the first time, this draft clearly prohibits ‘three-no’ vessels from engaging in fishing operations, prohibits the provision of services for the circulation of their catches in the superior law, and sets corresponding penalties,” said Ling Cao, a Chinese fisheries researcher and professor at Xiamen University, referring to vessels operating without registration, monitoring devices, or designated landing port authorization.
The China offices of nonprofit Greenpeace agreed that the proposals generated positive momentum, but wanted some stronger language. In particular, the nonprofit regrets the wording on vessel access to ports, which “encourages” vessels to unload their catch at designated fishing ports where catches can be registered instead of making it a requirement...
