Overview 



There are four major participants among Asian distant-water fishing fleets: China, Japan, the Republic of Korea 

 (ROK), and Taiwan. With the exception of China, these fleets have fished the world's oceans for over 30 years. 

 China's distant-water fleet emerged in the mid-1980s and is likely to grow for the foreseeable future. Other 

 countries in the Asia-Pacific region possess fishing vessels capable of distant-water fishing operations, but these 

 vessels operate primarily in their own 200-mile fishery zones. 



Japan, the ROK, and Taiwan began large-scale distant-water operations during the 1960s. Tliese fleets have 

 created an impressive global distant-water fisheries network which has enabled them to rank among the world's 

 largest in terms of vessel numbers, tonnage, and catch. Asian distant-water fleets focus their efforts on a small 

 number of commercially valuable species: tuna, squid, shrimp, and groundfish (e.g. Alaska pollock). 



Contents 



I. Distant-water Fishing Fleets 1 



A. Trawlers 2 



B. Squid Jiggers 4 



C. Driftnet Vessels 4 



D. Distant-water Tuna Vessels 4 



II. Outlook 5 



A. Trawlers 5 



B. Squid Jiggers 5 



C. Driftnet Vessels 6 



D. Distant-water Tuna Vessels 7 



Sources 8 



Appendices 10 



1. Distant -water Fishing Fleets 



Fleet statistics from Lloyd's of London for large 

 distant-water fishing vessels (greater than 500GRT) 

 indicate that only Japan is significantly reducing its 

 fleet (appendix A). Official data for each fleet, 

 however, indicates that some fleet reduction is also 

 taking place in the ROK and Taiwan (appendix B). 

 Fleet reduction is especially prominent in the Japanese, 

 ROK. and Taiwan trawler fleets. 



Distant-water catch statistics for Japan, the ROK. 

 Taiwan, and China also indicate that overall distant- 

 water effort has peaked and is decreasing, probably for 

 the foreseeable future (appendix C, figures 1 and 2). 



Total distant-water catch for the four fleets decreased 

 nearly 20 percent from 1987 to 1991. The sector 

 which has shown the most dramatic decrease is the 

 North Pacific trawl fishery. 



China is the one notable exception to this 

 "downsizing" trend. The Chinese Govenunent is 

 placing great emphasis on the development of all 

 sectors of Chinese fisheries, with particular emphasis 

 on the distant-water sector. China's plentiful supply of 

 cheap labor gives it an advantage over its industrialized 

 East Asian competition. China has acquired a 

 significant number of large factory trawlers in the past 

 few years, and is conducting distant-water operations 

 primarily in Africa, but is also active in South America 

 and Oceania. All indications are that China's distant- 



