China intensifies illegal fishing in Africa

[Thanas]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32817193

More than 70 Chinese vessels have been found fishing illegally off the coast of West Africa, Greenpeace says.

Using information gathered from 2000 to 2014, Greenpeace said Chinese companies had fished in prohibited grounds or under-declared their catches.

Boats either turned off their identification systems or transmitted false location data, it added.

One company's fishing capacity off the coast of Guinea Bissau is said to have exceeded its authorised limit by 61%.

The absence of efficient fisheries management in some West African states allows rogue companies to plunder marine resources, the BBC's Thomas Fessy reports from Dakar in Senegal.

In less than a month, Greenpeace documented an average of one new case of illegal practice by a Chinese-owned boat every two days, but the report's authors say they think that is only the "tip of the iceberg."

Chinese companies were "unlawfully exploiting West Africa's marine environment," said Rashid King, head of Greenpeace East Asia's China Ocean Campaign, in a statement.

"They were taking advantage of weak enforcement from local and Chinese authorities to the detriment of local fisherman and the environment."
'Exploiting'

Mr Kang said unless the Chinese government controlled rogue fishermen, it would "seriously jeopardise" its mutually beneficial partnership with West Africa.

China came to West Africa's aid during the Ebola outbreak, Mr Kang said, but Chinese companies were "exploiting" West Africa's marine environment.

In the most recent cases, the Greenpeace ship MY Esperanza, which sailed off Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea last autumn, documented 16 illegal fishing activities by 12 Chinese vessels.

Over the last 15 years, Greenpeace has also investigated illegal fishing practices by EU, Korean and Russian fishing vessels in Africa.

From 1985 to 2013, China expanded its Africa fishing operations from 13 to 462 vessels.

The vessels were mostly bottom trawlers, which Greenpeace calls "one of the most destructive fishing vessels in the industry".

Full report here. Seems like the Chinese, including the state-owned companies, do not really give a shit about what they do in Africa.

[Broomstick]

Uh... yeah, is that news to you?

Check into China's exploitation of all sorts of African resources - not just fish but minerals, human labor... They're plundering Africa because they can. Lots of vulnerable nations and populations, China has the means and the will to take advantage of the situation. They don't give a shit about the land or the people they're exploiting there, hell, take a look at how they treat their own rural population. China's economic machine needs resources, and it's not like they're going to, say, poach on US fishing grounds because the US will notice and show up with a modern navy... unlike the West African nations being exploited here.

[cosmicalstorm]

It seems pretty likely that we will have killed of anything that isn't "human-resistant" before the end of the century. Lets hope we have some tech that allows us to survive by then.

[Guardsman Bass]

Reminds of me of why piracy got going in force in Somalia - foreign trawlers had essentially strip-mined the fisheries nearby. Seriously, fuck trawlers - they should be banned outright as a legal means of fishing.

As Broomstick pointed out, it's just of a piece with Chinese activity in Africa in general. It does seem to be generating some resistance from African governments (see Tanzania) but many of them aren't strong enough to do what a rich country would do if a Chinese trawler was illegally fishing in their waters - i.e. seizing the boats and confiscating their catches often enough that they stay away.

[salm]

The EU does the same. We´re fish thieves.

<edit>It´s actually worse than that. We "buy" fishing liscenses with EU tax money, pay some small fines or simply don´t care because the laws can´t be enforeced so that the oversized European fishing fleat doesn´t have to shrink which would destroy a couple of precious European jobs. Then our fleet empties African fishing territories taking jobs from Africans by making it more difficult for African fishers to find fish. Then we sell 80% of the stolen fish to Africans at very low prices driving even more Africans out of jobs and turn the rest into animal food.</edit>

[AniThyng]

The EU does the same. We´re fish thieves.

<edit>It´s actually worse than that. We "buy" fishing liscenses with EU tax money, pay some small fines or simply don´t care because the laws can´t be enforeced so that the oversized European fishing fleat doesn´t have to shrink which would destroy a couple of precious European jobs. Then our fleet empties African fishing territories taking jobs from Africans by making it more difficult for African fishers to find fish. Then we sell 80% of the stolen fish to Africans at very low prices driving even more Africans out of jobs and turn the rest into animal food.</edit>

What a refreshing change from "China bad and irresponsible, EU/America responsible global citizens".

[Purple]

The EU does the same. We´re fish thieves.

<edit>It´s actually worse than that. We "buy" fishing liscenses with EU tax money, pay some small fines or simply don´t care because the laws can´t be enforeced so that the oversized European fishing fleat doesn´t have to shrink which would destroy a couple of precious European jobs. Then our fleet empties African fishing territories taking jobs from Africans by making it more difficult for African fishers to find fish. Then we sell 80% of the stolen fish to Africans at very low prices driving even more Africans out of jobs and turn the rest into animal food.</edit>

What a refreshing change from "China bad and irresponsible, EU/America responsible global citizens".

Call me a cynic but I'd much rather live in a world where only one of the major power blocks is being a dick than the one we have.

[K. A. Pital]

All majors powers are dicks. Sky is blue.

[Purple]

All majors powers are dicks. Sky is blue.

And humans are bastards. I know. It is a sad fact of the human condition that every single day is a newer ending streams of disappointments as one abandons that which he desires and thinks should be in favor of that which simply is.