International and Korean non-governmental organisations (NGO) have condemned the Korean government for mishandling a case of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing that occurred in the Antarctic.
In December 2017, two distant water fishing vessels owned by the Hong-Jin company violated conservation measures of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, an international fishing body established by the UN to protect Antarctic waters.
The vessels fished illegally over the course of four days, catching 70 tonnes of tooth-fish. The Korean government promised to ensure the operator did not receive any financial benefit and barred the boats from fishing for 60 days.
Ban had ‘no impact’
However, the NGOs have criticised the Korean government, pointing out that the suspension was applied during a non-fishing period, meaning it had little or no impact. Moreover, the illegal catch was returned to the operator who then sold it for more than US$800,000.
In their statement, the NGOs said: “Contrary to what the Korean government announced internationally, Korean officials allowed the IUU-caught fish to enter not only Korea but also the international market.
“Even worse, the government is claiming that they are not aware of its destination. This incident reveals how legal loopholes and untransparent (sic) fishery governance can be exploited.”
In October 2018, South Korea’s Minister of Fisheries signed a pledge to work more closely with the European Union to tackle IUU fishing.
