May 18, 2012

 

 

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries are protesting against a yearly two-and-half month-long fishing ban in the South China Sea.

 

All 8,994 of the area's locally registered fishing vessels have already been moored, according to the Hainan Provincial Marine and Fishing Department.

 

The fishing ban will last from May 16 to August 1 and span areas north of the 12th parallel, including Huangyan Island but excluding most of the Nansha Islands.

 

The ban was adopted in 1999 to help buttress the sustainable development of the fishing industry in the South China Sea and thereby protect the interests of fisher, said officials from the South China Fishery Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

 

"Imposing the fishing ban is conducive to protecting fish during their egg-laying season, increasing fish stocks and improving the biological environment," said Tang Jianye, a professor specialising in maritime policy and law at Shanghai Ocean University.

 

Anyone who ignores the ban will be punished via fines, license revocations, confiscations and possible criminal charges, among other measures, according to a statement issued by the fishery bureau under the MOA.

 

Fishing vessels with permits for the Nansha Islands must install and activate positioning equipment so they will not accidentally venture into banned areas, the provincial fishing authority said.

 

A spokesman from the fishery bureau under the MOA said fishing activities done by foreign ships in banned areas will be considered a "blatant encroachment on China's fishery resources."

 

Law enforcement vessels have been patrolling the sea.

 

The Philippines said it will ignore the ban but may issue one of its own.

 

"Our position is that we do not recognise China's fishing ban, as portions of the ban encompass our exclusive economic zone (EEZ)," explained a statement by the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs. "However, the president has decided that, in view of the accelerated depletion of our marine resources, it would be advisable for us to issue our own fishing ban for a period of time to replenish our fish stock."

 

Referring to a worsening escalating sovereignty dispute between China and the Philippines over Huangyan Island, Tong Xiaoling, China's ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said China has every right to defend its sovereignty and protect its fisheries.

 

Vietnam is also opposing China's fishing ban. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Luong Thanh Nghi, called China's ban on Vietnamese fishing boats in disputed parts of the South China Sea "invalid," according to reports.