Xinhua | October 24, 2023
III. Fulfilling the Flag State Duties in All Respects
As a responsible fishing nation, China strictly observes the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other multilateral agreements on fisheries it has joined. It performs its duties as a flag state2 in terms of the controls over total output and the number of fishing vessels, data collection and reporting, national fisheries observer program, etc., producing positive outcomes.
1. Continuing to improve the DWF licensing system
China has put in place a comprehensive DWF licensing system and relevant measures. No Chinese DWF vessel is permitted to work before going through registration and examination procedures and getting the authority's approval in accordance with China's Fisheries Law and the Administrative Regulations for Distant-Water Fisheries. Chinese DWF fleets fishing in certain sea areas have fulfilled registering procedures as required by authorized RFMOs. Multiple government departments have strengthened the management of DWF vessels by measures including examination and approval, registration and decommissioning, and fishing licensing. They have also issued standard format documents for fishing vessels such as the Fishing License of the People's Republic of China (High Seas).
2. Implementing input and output control
China rigorously abides by the restrictions on the number and tonnage of fishing vessels and the species-based fishing quotas imposed by RFMOs. Its DWF sector remained stable during the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), and will continue to be under strict control during the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025), with the goals of keeping the number of DWF vessels below 3,000 and their output around 2.3 million tonnes. The Chinese government announced in 2021 that China will not increase squid jiggers nor expand its squid fleets on the high seas, and formulated and implemented an individual vessel quota program on Pacific saury; these have been effective in regulating fishing activity. China strictly conforms to conservation and management measures such as seasonal and area fishing ban imposed by RFMOs, and has put in place voluntary ban for its fishing fleets on the high seas.
3. Gradually establishing a complete data collection and reporting system
China has intensified its efforts to collect and report basic statistics in the DWF sector, raise data quality, and promote sharing and integration. It has set up an inclusive DWF data collection framework, covering enterprise information, ship information, position monitoring, fishing logbook, transshipment of catches, national fisheries observers, port sampling, scientific survey and trial fishing, and reported data on fisheries to respective RFMOs in line with their requirements. China advocates sufficient and fair data sharing and research, maximizes the role of science-based data in decision making, protects data security, and makes its due contribution to conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources in all regions.
4. Rolling out electronic fishing logbook
China has imposed requirements for keeping fishing logbook for tuna, squid, jack mackerel, Pacific saury, and other species on the high seas, and retrieved logbooks from all fishing vessels, whose reporting quality continues to rise. Chinese ships also report to other countries as required when fishing in their waters. In order to acquire accurate data in real time, China is advancing the research, testing, and application of electronic reporting to cover all Chinese high seas fishing vessels, and has participated in RFMOs' electronic reporting programs. In July 2022, the Chinese government issued administrative measures for electronic reporting, and announced the full implementation of the system as from January 2024 for all China-approved fishing vessels on the high seas.
5. Promoting the national fisheries observer program
China has implemented a national fisheries observer program to regulate and standardize the dispatch of observers. Its observer programs in the West and Central Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean have been reviewed or approved by respective RFMOs. After satisfying the RFMO mandated observer coverage rate of five percent, China has encouraged the use of electronic observers. It launched its high seas transshipment observer program in 2021 to oversee transshipment activities that do not fall under the management of RFMOs. China continues to reinforce its contingent of competent observers, and has incorporated this profession into the General Code of Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 Edition), laying institutional foundations for observer programs.
6. Strengthening management of high seas fishing vessels
China has rigorously complied with the conservation and management measures imposed by RFMOs. It has formulated and implemented special administrative measures for fishing activities in the North and South Pacific Ocean regions and for tuna, squid and other major species, and strengthened supervision and management of high seas fisheries and compliance with international treaties. In the high seas areas where Chinese DWF vessels concentrate, China has applied quota controls to squid fishing since 2021, focusing on the management of DWF squid jigging vessels that work in areas without RFMOs. It has optimized the regional distribution of fishing vessels, regulated their activities, and performed its duty of care as a flag state.
2The flag state is obliged to fulfill certain duties when allowing ships to fly its flag, including: exercise its control on technical matters, perform competency management of masters, officers and other crew members, restrict and protect the ships in accordance with internal laws, ensure the ships conform to international conventions, and others.
