Coast Guard seizes five Chinese vessels for illegal fishing

A Coast Guard seizes a Chinese vessel illegally fishing in Korean waters, northwest of Gageo Island, South Jeolla, on Dec. 3, 2023. [NEWS1]

The Korea Coast Guard seized five Chinese vessels and arrested a Chinese captain for illegally fishing in Korean waters amid a government crackdown on such activities.

The Coast Guard said Tuesday that it conducted a joint patrol with the Navy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries from March 25 to Sunday to crackdown on illegal fishing activities in the Yellow Sea and Korea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters off the coast of Jeju Island.

A total of 30 vessels and three aircraft were mobilized for the patrol.

Of the five illegal Chinese fishing boats seized by the Coast Guard, one was confiscated.

The Coast Guard levied fines totaling 450 million won ($333,000) on the seized vessels and evicted 58 other fishing vessels for illegal fishing.

It also detained a Chinese captain for violating the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone Act and deported five crew members.

According to the Coast Guard, some illegal Chinese fishing boats closed their steel doors and retreated after spotting the mobilized vessels conducting a joint patrol.

During the crackdown, the Coast Guard caught Chinese crew members trespassing the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea, as they illegally fished on a small rubber boat alongside a Chinese fishing vessel that reported less fish than it caught.

A Chinese fishing boat was also caught setting up 31 large fishing nets, costing 60 million won per net, in the waters of Jeju Island, the Coast Guard said.

The fishing gear that the Chinese boat set is prohibited in Korea's EEZ, as it has a small tip at the end of the net that catches even the smallest and youngest of fish.

The Coast Guard and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries demolished 20 of the total 31 fishing nets set by the Chinese boat and plans to retrieve the remains.

According to the Coast Guard, an average of 300 Chinese vessels illegally fish in Korean waters a day. The crackdown season brings the number down to 140.

The Coast Guard plans to additionally place more 500-ton patrol vessels around the NLL water area in the Yellow Sea to reinforce its crackdown.

“We will take strong measures against those who conduct illegal fishing activities [in Korean waters], which ruin marine resources by sweeping up young fish,” a Coast Guard official said.

"We will share the status of illegal fisheries with relevant countries and ask them to take measures during diplomatic meetings on fishery in May."

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]