Crackdown needed on illegal fishing by Chinese ships

On Saturday morning, fishermen from Ongjin County of Yeonpyeong Island captured two Chinese boats that were fishing illegally right under the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. While the 19 Korean fishing boats followed all due procedures before taking off to the sea, they saw some 70 Chinese fishing boats near the NLL and decided to capture the illegal fishers themselves. While the closed season for blue crabs (July to August) is just around the corner, the fishermen of Yeonpyeong Island are having such a hard time in making profits owing to the illegal fishers from China. The Korean fishermen said that they wished there were a better thing to do than pursuing the Chinese fishing boats. However, the point of arrest was only 550 meters away from the NLL, and this means that the Korean fishers were exposed to the grave danger of attacks from North Korea.

The illegal fishing by Chinese near the NLL grows increasingly rampant from April to June every year. Last year, the average number of Chinese fishing boats that were captured by navy radar stood at 329 per day, almost doubling from the previous year. In the face of the rising tide of Chinese fishers, the maritime police are nowhere to be seen. Having been incorporated under the Ministry of Public Safety and Security after revealing its uselessness in containing the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry, the Maritime Police of Korea made a bold promise to preempt illegal fishing by increasing the number of patrol ships near the NLL from three to six. The Chinese fishermen were caught while taking a nap on their boat, but the maritime police weren't there.

The maritime police claim that it is very difficult to crackdown foreign fishers as the waters near the NLL are exposed to gunfire from North Korea, with a high possibility of military conflicts. Chinese fishers who purchased the operation right from North Korea trespass the NLL to the south for fishing before running away from patrol ships back to the northern sea.

However, this does not mean that the police may sit on their hands and let the illegal fishing continue. The fish are being wiped out by Chinese trawlers, and the catch is plummeting due to the temperature change, forcing Korean fishers to barely make ends meet. The catch for blue crabs in April this year was about 170,000 kilograms, down by a whopping 78 percent year-on-year. Whether it takes reinforcement of equipment or a joint operation with Navy, it is vital that we conduct an aggressive crackdown to prevent Chinese fishing boats from violating territorial waters and going on their illegal fishing.