Fishery Tensions Rise Between China and South Korea after Korean Landings Hit Record Lows
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Shuichan News] Translated by Amy Zhong Feb 14, 2017
South Korea’s fisheries output in 2016 hits the lowest level within the past 45 years. And its media blame it on China’s “illegal fishing”.
According to the KMI (Korea Maritime Institute), South Korea’s fisheries output is 923-thousand tons in the coastal and inshore sea areas during 2016. The number has contracted by 12.7% from that of the previous year. And it has been at the lowest level since 1972 when the output was 956,276 tons. The KMI blames China’s “illegal fishing” for the drastic reduction in its marine resources.
The average catch per vessel per day of fishing has declined from 370.3 tons in 1972 to 251.6 tons last year in the inshore areas. And the capacity has contracted from 10.1 tons to 6.2 tons for fishing boats in coastal areas.
Although there has been great improvement in South Korea’s fishing technologies within the past decades, the output has decreased rather than increased. According to the analysis of the KMI, the country’s current fisheries resources are only 62% of those in 1972. ...
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