China’s Incentives and Efforts against IUU Fishing in the South China Sea

Abstract

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a massive problem that poses a significant threat to the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fishing for their food and income. Many issues have emerged, such as declining fishery resources, regional fishery incidents, political impacts, and disputes over sovereignty, which all have mutual and complicated effects on IUU fishing, eventually hindering the sustainability of marine fisheries. In this situation, the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China) has tried to undertake some efforts to combat IUU fishing over the past few years using domestic regulation and international cooperation, especially in the South China Sea. This article discusses the seriousness of IUU fishing; examines the causes of IUU fishing in the South China Sea; analyzes why frequent fishing conflicts have increased in the South China Sea; identifies what IUU fishing is, based on its definition in the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU) and in other countries; and examines what actions have been undertaken to prevent IUU fishing in China from international and national perspectives. By analyzing the cause of IUU fishing, identifying its scope and nature, and demonstrating China’s position on it, this study aims to prove that China has taken some positive measures to combat IUU fishing in the South China Sea. To promote the sustainable development of fisheries in the South China Sea, uniting China and other South China Sea states against IUU fishing could be an efficient way in the future.