In an effort to discourage fishing in dangerous conditions, a major fishing port in China is docking 30 percent from fuel subsidies given to operators who ply the waters when storm warnings keep patrol boats at port.
The warning from Ocean and Fisheries Bureau in Zhuhai, the city adjacent to Macao and Hong Kong, comes at a time when China is also trying to remediate chronic overfishing of its domestic waters while also reducing the all-too-frequent fishery accidents caused by fishing vessels navigating overcrowded and dangerous waters.
The move by Zhuhai to cut subsidies is new and significant, given many Chinese fishing companies rely on them to reach profitability. However, the cuts won’t apply to Chinese vessels in international waters.
That exception has angered neighboring countries such as Japan, which has claimed Chinese fishing vessels regularly trespass into its territories waters.
But China’s foreign ministry spokesman, responding to Japan’s claims, said that China is “a responsible fishing country.”
Chinese port to cut fuel subsidies in effort to curb overfishing
In an effort to discourage fishing in dangerous conditions, a major fishing port in China is docking 30 percent from fuel subsidies given to operators who ply the waters when storm warnings keep patrol boats at port.
The warning from Ocean and Fisheries Bureau in Zhuhai, the city adjacent to Macao and Hong Kong, comes at a time when China is also trying to remediate chronic overfishing of its domestic waters while also reducing the all-too-frequent fishery accidents caused by fishing vessels navigating overcrowded and dangerous waters.
The move by Zhuhai to cut subsidies is new and significant, given many Chinese fishing companies rely on them to reach profitability. However, the cuts won’t apply to Chinese vessels in international waters.
That exception has angered neighboring countries such as Japan, which has claimed Chinese fishing vessels regularly trespass into its territories waters.
But China’s foreign ministry spokesman, responding to Japan’s claims, said that China is “a responsible fishing country.”
