How about lies moratorium?

How about lies moratorium? | Daily Tribune

The pernicious fishing “moratorium” that China has imposed in the disputed areas is being made up to be a measure in support of the sustainable development of fishery resources that a state mouthpiece claimed showcased “China’s image as a responsible major country promoting the sustainable development of fisheries.”

Beijing retorted that a lie repeated a thousand times is still a lie in response to the Philippines’ assertion that the fishing ban is part of the looming 15 June directive to arrest trespassers in the West Philippine Sea.

Top Philippine officials consider both the ban and the directive as provocations but China accuses its neighbor of using increasingly aggressive tactics to confront and smear the country.

It insists the fishing moratorium has contributed to the sustainable development of the fishery resources in the West Philippine Sea, which it said is widely recognized and showcases China’s image as a responsible major country promoting the sustainable development of the marine industry.

China said the anti-trespassing law is contained in the Coast Guard Law of 2021 and the provisions of the edict aim to provide clear and practicable norms.

It further claimed that the WPS procedures do not target the current situation in the South China Sea and have no connection with China’s countermeasures.

China, however, has been proven to have a bankrupt basis for a fishing ban. International maritime conservation advocate Oceana conducted a study of Beijing’s annual squid fishing ban in 2023 and found that it was a mere stunt.

The ban avoided areas where Chinese vessels fish, failing to address the fleet’s notorious unregulated fishing footprint on the high seas.

China says it imposed the restrictions to replenish the squid population in the northern Indian Ocean.

This year’s fishing suspension, which will run from July to September, covers an area where China’s distant water fleet rarely fishes for squid.

Oceana found that recent self-imposed fishing bans were all located in areas where its fishing fleets rarely fished.

Thus, the imposition is meant to keep Filipino fishing boats from the maritime area instead of China’s fleet which can source its livelihood somewhere else.

The squid fishing ban last year covered a small area in the northern Indian Ocean. In 2022, China’s fishing fleet only appeared to fish a total of 21 hours in the moratorium area.

In 2020, China’s squid fishing ban covered a small area in the eastern Pacific Ocean where, records showed, its fishing fleet appeared to fish only 38 hours.

Thus, Oceana concluded that China’s fishing bans were built on pretense.

“It’s like a penguin saying it’s giving up flying,” an Oceana researcher said. “Ending squid fishing in areas where there is no fishing does nothing to protect the squid. If we are going to take responsible fishing seriously, we need real solutions — not ones built on optics to disingenuously win the world’s good favor.”

The private group analyzed the activities of Chinese-flagged squid fishing vessels using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from Global Fishing Watch, an independent nonprofit group founded by Oceana in partnership with SkyTruth and Google.

AIS devices transmit information such as a vessel’s name, flag state, and location. “This most recent feigned ban is just the latest attempt by one of the world’s worst actors when it comes to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing to improve its global image and insinuate that it is taking positive steps to combat overfishing,” an Oceana official.

“It’s an insult to honest fishers and governments across the globe that take tangible steps to protect our oceans and those who depend on them. These PR stunts are perfect examples of how bad actors can pillage and overfish our oceans, and then announce phony conservation measures to cover their tracks. It serves as further proof that increased transparency in fishing is needed to stop these types of bait and switch.”

China has the world’s largest long-distance fishing fleet, with nearly 11,000 vessels.

Oceana said that when fleets this massive focus on a mostly unregulated and unmonitored fishery, it poses a significant threat to ocean ecosystems around the globe.

It noted that in the first six months of 2023 alone, China conducted more than 330,000 hours of squid fishing. These self-imposed bans have not diminished the amount of squid fishing China is doing, since the bans are all in places where the fleet rarely fishes.

Oceana said China’s fishing fleets are propped up by state subsidies that promote overcapacity and incentivize overfishing.

China, in contrast to its claim of preserving marine resources through the ban, is the world’s largest provider of harmful fisheries subsidies, estimated at $5.9 billion.

The plots and the lies never cease, and they contribute nothing but confusion to the WPS dispute.