How a Chinese surveillance camera giant operated ‘illegally’ in Canada for almost a decade before being banned

In recent weeks, the number of Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea has surged more than double, according to the Korea Coast Guard. As of early this month, approximately 190 Chinese vessels were patrolling the area, compared to around 80 in late August. This increase comes despite a government crackdown that was announced in late August and included deploying more Coast Guard special operations personnel, removing illegal fishing gear, installing artificial structures to obstruct illegal fishing, and revising the law to penalize unauthorized anchoring.

The Coast Guard and various ministries, including foreign affairs, unification, national defense, and oceans and fisheries, jointly announced the measures on August 27. The crackdown aimed to compel all Chinese fishing boats to vacate the region. While foreign vessels are prohibited from fishing in these waters, Chinese boats exploit the division by illegal fishing activities.

Interestingly, the number of boats counted one year prior was 240, indicating a decrease of 50 from the current count. It is worth noting that the number of boats typically escalates during the autumn fishing season.