Chinese fishing fleet challenges U.S. in high seas standoff

Thousands of miles away, a heavily armed U.S. Coast Guard speedboat sailed toward hundreds of Chinese squid fishing boats not far from Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. Its mission: To inspect vessels for any signs of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.

As part of a collective effort to protect the oceans’ threatened fish populations, boarding a ship on the high seas is a completely legal tool that can be used even with little use of any sea power.

But in this case, the Chinese captains of several fishing boats did something unexpected. Three ships sped away, and one veered sharply 90 degrees to the Coast Guard speedboat James, forcing the U.S. vessel to take evasive action to avoid being hit.

“For the most part, they wanted to avoid us,” said Coast Guard Lieutenant Hunter Stows, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer aboard the James. “But we were able to maneuver effectively, so we were always safe.”

Still, the high seas confrontation represents a potential danger of violating international maritime agreements, which the U.S. sees as a disturbing precedent as it occurs during the first-ever Coast Guard mission to combat illegal fishing in the eastern Pacific.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, guards from the cruiser USS James board a fishing vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on August 6, 2022. (Associated Press)

The Associated Press reconstructed details of the never-reported incident from the Coast Guard and six U.S. civilian officials, who spoke in more detail about the operation but requested anonymity to avoid jeopardizing efforts to force China to sanction the ships. multilateral process. While diplomats in China accused the Americans of misconduct, they did not provide details of their own.

Activists and governments in Latin America are increasingly wary of the activities of China’s ocean-going fishing fleet, prompting an unprecedented voyage by the Coast Guard, the world’s largest. The number of Chinese-flagged fishing boats spotted in the South Pacific, sometimes for months at a time, has surged eightfold since 2009, to 476 last year. Meanwhile, its squid catch has increased from 70,000 tonnes to 422,000 tonnes – a level some scientists worry is unsustainable even for a resilient species.

As an AP-Univision investigation revealed last year, the Chinese fleet includes some of the seafood industry’s worst offenders, with a long record of labor abuse, illegal fishing and violations of maritime law. But they were drawn to the high seas around the Americas – where the United States has long dominated status.

More than 10 days of illegal fishing patrols in August were initially quiet. More than a month later, the Coast Guard released a brief statement celebrating the mission with photos of the two successfully boarded ships. But it did not mention the three who escaped, nor did it provide any clues about the ship’s nationality — a stance the Coast Guard has maintained in conversations with The Associated Press.

But the incident has not gone unnoticed in China.

Within days, Beijing issued a formal written protest, according to U.S. officials. In addition, U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns raised the issue when he was summoned by the Chinese Foreign Ministry for an emergency meeting on Speaker Pelosi’s visit to China. Taiwanan official said.

China’s foreign ministry told The Associated Press that it has zero tolerance for illegal fishing, saying it was the United States that flouted international norms and conducted unauthorized inspections that did not comply with coronavirus protocols that could endanger the lives of seafarers.

“The conduct of the United States is unsafe, opaque and unprofessional,” the foreign ministry said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We ask the U.S. side to stop dangerous and wrong inspection activities.”

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, guards from the cruiser USS James board a fishing vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on August 3, 2022. (Associated Press)

The Coast Guard disputed that claim, saying all members of the boarding team wore masks, gloves and long sleeves in addition to their vaccinations.

The Biden administration also reported possible irregularities on two vessels it inspected to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), a 16-member group that includes China and the United States responsible for ensuring that the 53 million square km of waters for sustainable fishing. ocean.

One of the most serious allegations is against Yonghang 3, a refrigerated cargo ship used to bring fish back to China so that smaller vessels can stay on the water longer. The vessel was one of those that escaped from a Coast Guard patrol, in violation of a direct cooperation order from the Panamanian maritime authorities, and the vessel was hoisted under the flag of the Panamanian maritime authority. To cover up the activity, some ships, especially refrigerated cargo ships, often fly other flags but are named, managed and docked in China.

Ultimately, if history is any guide, the Chinese Communist government is unlikely to punish a fleet of 3,000 ocean-going fishing vessels it sees as an extension of its growing naval power, funded by generous state loans and fuel subsidies. Promote.

According to Lieutenant Storrs, Coast Guard patrols were carefully planned. More than a year ago, the U.S. warned fisheries officials it intended to conduct boardings in the area, submitting documents showing the badges the crew would carry and photos of the blue-and-white checkered flag that the cutters would fly. Five other countries, including Chile and New Zealand, have filed similar documents that allow members fishing in the South Pacific to inspect each other’s boats.

“It’s just really important that we do the boarding outside,” Storrs said.

Maritime inspections are considered an important tool for verifying that fishing vessels are complying with rules on the use of forced labor, environmentally harmful fishing gear and targeting threatened species such as sharks.

China has repeatedly blocked efforts to strengthen inspection procedures in the South Pacific. The most recent obstruction came last year, when China argued that fishermen would be at risk if maritime patrols were allowed to carry guns.

The rules, adopted unanimously in 2011, are guided by a 1995 UN treaty known as the Fish Stocks Agreement, which allows inspectors to use limited force to stay safe.

The U.S. State Department issued a scathing diplomatic note reminding Beijing of its international obligations and the ocean-going fleet’s long record of labor abuses and violations, an official told The Associated Press.

The Biden administration is also weighing whether to blacklist the vessels for illegal fishing and ban them from returning to the South Pacific at an upcoming meeting of fisheries management groups in Ecuador.