Mokpo Coast Guard Seizes 3 Vessels Including Unauthorized Illegal Fishing Chinese Boats

Charges of Unauthorized Illegal Fishing and Underreporting Catch by 5000kg

Mokpo Coast Guard is conducting crackdowns on unauthorized illegal fishing by Chinese vessels. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] One Chinese fishing vessel caught fishing illegally without permission in our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and two Chinese fishing vessels that underreported their catch in their fishing logs were seized by the Coast Guard.

On the 22nd, the Mokpo Coast Guard announced that at around 4:05 a.m. on the 21st, they apprehended Chinese fishing vessel A (155 tons, purse seine, 17 crew members) illegally fishing 41 km southwest off Gageodo, Sinan County.

According to the Coast Guard, at around 1:10 a.m. that day, they discovered vessel A engaged in illegal fishing and immediately deployed the Maritime Special Task Force to conduct an inspection. It was confirmed that the vessel had caught 600 kg of mackerel in our EEZ without permission.

Subsequently, at around 5:30 a.m. the same day, the Coast Guard additionally seized two twin purse seine Chinese fishing vessels, vessel B (299 tons, 15 crew members) and vessel C (299 tons, 14 crew members), 45 km southwest off Gageodo, Sinan County, for falsifying catch amounts in their fishing logs.

These vessels are suspected of underreporting their catch by recording only 900 kg in their logs despite having caught 5,900 kg of fish including hairtail in our EEZ.

Chinese fishing vessels entering our waters are required to accurately record their fishing activities in their logs according to the fishing conditions and entry procedures regulations agreed upon by both countries’ vessels.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard transported vessel A to the Mokpo Coast Guard exclusive pier that afternoon, and plans to confiscate the catch and fishing gear from vessels B and C and impose a security deposit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.