Chinese over-fishing will ruin West African waters

Significance

The small fish essential to the diets and livelihoods of coastal communities are much less abundant than in the recent past, and catches by traditional fishing communities are in marked decline. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by Chinese trawlers is a major reason.

Impacts

• Chinese policymakers will attempt to show that President Xi Jinping’s concept of ‘ecological civilisation’ has relevance beyond China.
• Over time, Chinese government blacklists may have effect by making it difficult for offending companies to access credit or insurance.
• DWF could emerge as an important issue at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Senegal later this year.
• Half of Chinese DWF tuna and squid are sold to EU and US customers, so there is potential for consumers in those markets to demand change.