Addressing China’s global distant water fleet activities – implications for fisheries governance

The Market Advisory Council (MAC) has, in collaboration with the Long Distance Fleet Advisory Council (LDAC), prepared recommendations for the European Commission on China’s global distant water fleet activities implications for fisheries governance.

The cooperation between EU and China in fighting IUU fishing is in progress, but the LDAC and the MAC are concerned that the rapid expansion of the Chinese distant water fishing fleet, numerous cases of illegal fishing identified and the global impact of its vast, unsustainable, and opaque activities calls for imminent action. The two advisory councils have therefore prepared common recommendations for the European Commission to step up its engagement with China to secure high sustainability standards and transparency.

The recommendations relate to the following topics:
– Transparency
– Capacity building
– Fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUI) fishing
– Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement
– Subsidies
– Trade and Social Rights
– Development Cooperation

European Fishmeal is an active member of the Market Advisory Council (MAC) and supports the initiative and the commitment to address this important topic. 

This topic is important and entails also political attention. The European Parliament has published the study “Role and impact of China on world fisheries and aquaculture”. In this study, the European Parliament suggests a series of recommendations focusing on how to best protect the EU against unfair global competition practices. Among others, the European Parliament encourage the industry to set requirements when cooperating with China.

Read more about the specific recommendations from The Market Advisory Council here.

Read more about the European Parliament’s published study here.