As part of his commitment to assist other nations in addressing alleged infractions by fishing fleets, especially those of China, US President Joe Biden signed a national security memorandum on Monday to combat illegal fishing.
In a statement, the White House announced that it will also form an alliance with Canada and the UK to "take urgent action" to enhance monitoring, control, and surveillance in the battle against illicit, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.In an effort to counter China's expanding influence, US officials have committed to boost up their engagement with the Indo-Pacific area and implement measures to better combat illicit fishing.
Some nations in the area dislike China's sizable fishing fleet because they claim its boats frequently violate their 200 nautical mile (300 km) exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and result in economic and environmental harm.
The memorandum instructs agencies to strive toward "stopping human trafficking, including forced labor… while supporting safe, sustainable use of the ocean," senior US government officials told reporters at a briefing.
To "examine fishing vessels and operators expected to be harvesting seafood with forced labor," the person added, the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense, the US Coast Guard, and other enforcement agencies would work with private and foreign partners.Although the official stated that China was one of the worst violators, the initiative was not directed at any particular nation.
According to the official, "The PRC (People's Republic of China) is a major supporter of IUU fishing globally and has slowed down the creation of policies to address IUU fishing and overfishing in international organizations."
As a flag state, the PRC has a duty to keep these promises and actively monitor and correct the operations of the fishing fleet in the territorial waters of other nations, the official added.
Chinese officials assert that they are a responsible fishing nation that has been working with other nations to combat illegal fishing and that they fish in appropriate EEZs in accordance with bilateral agreements.According to Liu Pengyu, spokeswoman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, "the US claim is absolutely incorrect and does nothing to protect the marine environment and promote international cooperation in sustainable fishery."
The US State Department supported the Philippines' claim that China was fishing illegally in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) earlier in June.According to the US Coast Guard, illegal fishing now poses a greater danger to maritime security globally than piracy and could increase tensions between nations competing for overfished fisheries.
Kurt Campbell, the US's coordinator for Indo-Pacific policy, stated in May that nations in the region were working together to increase patrols and training efforts as well as share technologies to identify fishing vessels that participate in unlawful activity and disable electronic transponders.
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