I’ve always loved to fish and I consume what I keep.  It seems like there’s an infinite amount of fish in the seas. However, I’ve always known that our oceans and seas are overfished, and there’s no stopping that anytime soon.

Let’s face it, I’m not an influencer and whatever I write probably won’t have a broad impact. However, the real power doesn’t come from an individual; the real power comes from a movement. I’m simply participating in the campaign by merely reducing my fish consumption bought in the commercial market. Even a slight change in the supply chain market through consumption does make an impact.

Does it mean we should also stop recreational fishing as well? No, recreational fishing can be used as a powerful tool to educate people about the impact of mass commercial fishing. I believe that the United States is rather good at upkeeping standards in “sustainable” fishing.

Nevertheless, fishing isn't the same it was in the past. Things are changing for the worse, unfortunately.

The area of focus should be China:

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Chinese fishing initiatives in the last decades have devastated many once-rich fishing areas all around the world. China’s rapidly growing fishing fleets have illegally fished everywhere, including the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). According to The Guardian, “Since 2012, the Chinese Pacific fishing fleet has grown by more than 500%”. 

China’s dangerous practice of fishing in unstainable methods is a global security threat. The international community, specifically the Anglosphere, must respond and eradicate this practice for the benefit of people around the globe. 

How can we address it? 

There’s no point in doing our best to maintain a relationship with China with their immature lone-wolf warrior diplomatic approach. It’s time to show that China, which will only change its ways when met with action to enforce accountability, that their non-compliance will no longer be tolerated. At best, it will create jobs for fishermen whose livelihood has been impacted hard by the Chinese fishing fleet. 

Enforcement to prevent illegal fishing will be a politically popular initiative amongst liberals and conservatives alike. For the liberal, it’ll be in the name of the environment. For the conservatives, it’ll be in the name of accountability and order. 

So how can we enforce it cheaply and efficiently? One of the examples we should look upon is the Sea Shepherds. They’re famously known for combatting Japanese whale fishermen. To make an impact, they don’t target individual fishing boats; they target the mothership where they butcher the whales and adequately store the meat. Whale meat cannot be processed and froze without a mothership.

Every Chinese fishing fleet has its version of Nisshin Maru. In other words, they have freezer transport ships to collect the fish from many individual fishing boats.

We don’t even have to board the Chinese transport boats at all. We have a weapon in our hands called an electromagnetic pulse gun designed to disrupt and destroy live circuits. A non-functional freezer would spoil the fish and deem them unsellable. The Chinese fishing fleets are operating on a thin margin, and disruptions would render their fishing ambitions unprofitable.

You should watch Seapiracy on Netflix :)