Why are Chinese fishing boats disappearing from the Yellow Sea?

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Why are Chinese fishing boats disappearing from the Yellow Sea?

Published: 07 May. 2025, 11:29 Updated: 08 May. 2025, 15:33

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A Chinese finishing vessel caught by the Korea Coast Guard about 46 kilometers (25 nautical miles) west of Baengnyeong Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, on April 3. [WEST SEA SPECIAL SECURITY UNIT]

The Korea Coast Guard has intensified its crackdown on illegal Chinese fishing operations in the Yellow Sea, with patrols intercepting increasingly evasive and well-equipped vessels near the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

On March 20, a special operations unit caught two 50-ton pair trawlers illegally operating 8.3 kilometers [5.1 miles] inside restricted waters southwest of Socheong Island, off Incheon, at around 5 p.m.

The trawlers had deployed nets and were trawling slowly to catch fish. Authorities arrested the vessels under the Act on the Exercise of Sovereign Rights on Foreigners’ Fishing, seizing 60 kilograms [132 pounds] of mixed fish and detaining four individuals, including the captain.

Tougher measures, less invasions
Illegal crossings by Chinese fishing boats tend to rise during peak fishing months from March to May.

But the number of vessels crossing into Korean waters along the NLL — a disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea that separates South Korea and North Korea’s territorial waters — has declined this year.

A Chinese fishing vessel seized by the Korea Coast Guard for illegal operations in Korean waters docks at the Incheon Coast Guard’s exclusive pier in Incheon on Sept. 25, 2024. [YONHAP]

The Korea Coast Guard claims to have observed around 60 Chinese fishing boats near the NLL in April, down from the average of 90 per day observed during the same month of the last year.

From March through May 2024, around 130 boats were detected. This spring, counts dropped to around 80 in March and 100 in April, according to the special security unit.

Authorities credit the decrease to an aggressive enforcement campaign.

The Coast Guard launched a joint operation involving large patrol ships and aircraft, led by its regional commands in the central, Yellow Sea and Jeju areas.

A Chinese finishing vessel caught by the Korea Coast Guard west of Baengnyeong Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, on April 3. [WEST SEA SPECIAL SECURITY UNIT]

They also developed tactics tailored to the situation, including underwater parachutes to extend pursuit time and distance.
By the end of April, the Coast Guard had already detained 25 Chinese vessels, more than half the total of 46 it detained in the whole of 2024.

The crackdown remains active, with patrols focused on deterring and removing illegal vessels from Korean waters.
Declining fish populations have also contributed to the drop. With warmer temperatures and abnormal weather affecting marine life, many Chinese boats have shifted their operations to Korea’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The number of Chinese trawlers operating in the EEZ jumped to 244 in March, up from 158 in 2023 and 152 in 2024.

Smarter tactics
Some Chinese vessels have tried to evade inspections by modifying their ships.

The Gunsan Coast Guard apprehended two Chinese trawlers — one 204 tons and the other 131 tons — for fishing illegally in the EEZ near Eocheong Island, 137 kilometers southwest of Gunsan, North Jeolla, on Sunday.

Authorities said that the boats had secretly expanded their fish storage compartments without reporting the changes, likely to conceal their catch volumes.

A security unit of the Korea Coast Guard arrests two Chinese fishing vessels on charges of violating the Exclusive Economic Zone Fisheries Act while operating illegally west of Baengnyeong Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, on April 3. [WEST SEA SPECIAL SECURITY UNIT]

The Coast Guard, in response, has stepped up onboard inspections to uncover hidden compartments and unauthorized modifications.

Securing control of the wheelhouse remains a key element in boarding operations.

Once a vessel reaches the NLL or returns to Chinese jurisdictional waters, pursuit becomes limited. The Coast Guard units aim to seize the wheelhouse within 15 to 20 minutes of boarding, but recent cases have shown increased resistance.

The special unit intercepted two 80-ton to 100-ton Chinese trawlers operating illegally 46 kilometers west of Baengnyeong Island on April 3.

They found the wheelhouse doors reinforced with double steel barriers and extra hinges, making them more difficult to breach.

In another case, a primary vessel dropped nets in Korean waters before fleeing, leaving fast boats to recover the catch later — a tactic designed to avoid seizure.

“More Chinese vessels are now using so-called guerrilla fishing tactics, including reinforced wheelhouses and high-speed retrieval boats,” an official from the special unit said. “We are responding with specialized countermeasures, such as hydraulic cutters and customized enforcement strategies.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]