China Joins Treaty to Fight Illegal Fishing, a Major Milestone for Ocean Governance

In a major milestone in the global fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, today China – which has the world’s largest fishing fleets – joined a landmark treaty to ensure that only legally caught fish move through the world’s ports.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) Agreement on Port State Measures (also known as the Port State Measures Agreement or PSMA), which entered into force in 2016, is the only legally binding international treaty specifically targeting IUU fishing. It aims to stop illicitly caught fish from being landed and sold on the international market by requiring authorities to implement more stringent controls at port. China’s long-awaited accession to the treaty signals that this country, with a significant interest in global fisheries, is ready to take on a larger role in preventing IUU activity.

IUU fishing accounts for up to $23 billion worth of seafood annually, or 1 in 5 wild-caught fish, according to the FAO. The activity harms law-abiding fishing fleets and steals food and revenue from coastal communities around the world, many of which rely on healthy fisheries to survive. IUU fishing also puts crews at risk and damages the marine environment because illegal fishers often ignore other laws, such as those governing labour standards and conservation. 

Research commissioned by Pew has identified China as having the top 10 busiest ports in the world based on the total number of fishing and carrier vessel visits. That same research also ranked China as one of the countries in Asia with the highest risk in terms of its ability to effectively combat IUU fishing, due mainly to low governance levels.

While the PSMA predominantly focuses on foreign-flagged fishing vessels visiting another country’s ports, the treaty also contains a critical requirement that Parties investigate their own vessels when wrongdoing is suspected and punish them if it’s confirmed. To date, most countries have focused on implementation as it relates to foreign vessels, which has led to many distant-water fishing vessels returning to domestic ports to avoid PSMA-triggered inspections in foreign ports. China, which has both the largest distant-water and domestic fleets in the world and has approached PSMA adoption very seriously, can help change that narrative.

In China, over 99% of port visits are domestic, which includes many vessels from its large distant-water fleet returning home to land catch. If China conducts equal oversight of domestic and foreign vessel visits, it would have a significant impact given the high number of visits to Chinese ports.

China could also take additional steps to improve oversight of its fisheries. China can join its fellow Parties in adopting and making use of the Global Information Exchange System, which allows PSMA member countries to share real-time data, such as port inspection reports, to inform risk assessments.

Within China, the government should work to ensure effective cooperation among relevant ministries, such as those that oversee fisheries and transport. The government had already begun these efforts as part of its work to accede to the PSMA, and such coordination is required throughout the stages of implementation – from designating ports to accept foreign vessels to ensuring capacity at those ports to implement controls, such as vessel inspections. China should build on this work by standardizing processes and systems to share information and resources for strong PSMA implementation.

China’s adoption of the PSMA is a welcome development in international fisheries governance. Fish stocks continue to decline worldwide, a trend that can be reversed only through improved fisheries management, including identifying and responding to IUU fishing. With its massive fishing fleets and busy ports, China can play a key role in addressing IUU activity and, by extension, help strengthen port controls around the world.

Elaine Young works on The Pew Charitable Trusts’ international fisheries project.