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). 



Fleet statistics from Lloyd's of London for large 

 distant-water fishing vessels indicate that only Japan 

 is significantly reducing its fleet. Official data for 

 each fleet however, indicates that reductions are 

 taking place in Japan, ROK, and Taiwan. Fleet 

 reduction is especially prominent witliin the Japanese, 

 ROK, and Taiwan trawler fleets. 



Distant-water catch statistics for Japan, ROK, 

 Taiwan, and China also indicate that overall distant- 

 water effort has peaked and is decreasing, probably 

 for the foreseeable future. Distant-water catch for 

 the four fleets combined decreased nearly 20 percent 

 from 1987 to 1991. The sector which has shown the 

 most dramatic decrease is the North Pacific trawler 

 fishery. 



China is the one notable exception to this 

 "downsizing" trend. Tlie Chinese Government 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-water fleet will 

 continue to increase for the foreseeable future as 

 China attempts to reach an overall fisheries catch 

 goal of 20 million tons by the year 2000. 



Other countries in the Asia-Pacific region which 

 possess fishing vessels capable of distant-water 

 fishing operations include: Australia, Bangladesh, 

 Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, the 

 Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), Malaysia, 

 the Maldives, the Federated States of Micronesia 

 (FSM), Nauru, New Zealand, the Philippines, the 

 Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vanuatu, 

 and Vietnam. However, with the exception of 

 distant-water tuna vessels operated by Indonesia, the 

 Philippines and Vanuatu, these vessels operate 



primarily in the 200-mile EEZ of their respective 

 countries. Vessels from these three countries 

 concentrate their distant-water fishing efforts 

 primarily on Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries. 



The early 1990s is a time of transition for the 

 Asian distant-water fishing fleets. Distant-water 

 vessel owners from the developed economies of 

 Japan, ROK, and Taiwan are hiring more foreign 

 labor from developing countries and modernizing 

 their fishing gear, but there is little evidence to 

 suggest that diese efforts will be sufficient to make 

 distant-water fishing a viable source of long-term 

 revenue. Increased international regulation of high- 

 seas fisheries and decreased access to coastal fishing 

 grounds serve to accelerate a process where 

 developing Asian countries such as China are taking 

 over catch operations from their industrialized Asian 

 neighbors. 



There are indications that other developing 

 countries in the region may become increasingly 

 involved in distant-water fisheries. India, Indonesia, 

 and Iran are three countries with significant natural 

 and human resources which are currently making 

 plans for distant-water fleet development. Iran and 

 Indonesia are concentrating on exploiting tuna 

 resources, while India has been developing a trawler 

 industry geared to supplying its nascent surimi 

 industry. 



C. BALTIC STATES 



The three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and 

 Lithuania, became independent in 1991, after being 

 part of the Soviet Union for almost five decades. 

 The Baltic fishing industries which were part of the 

 centrally planned economy, directed by the Soviet 

 Ministry of Fisheries in Moscow, had to readjust 

 quickly to the new free-market demands. Their 

 fishing fleets were previously supported by the giant 

 (and expensive) Soviet network of fishery support 

 vessels and representatives in foreign ports. The 

 Baltic states themselves now have to secure 

 arrangements for access to fishing grounds in foreign 

 200-mile zones. The Baltic fisheries also had to face 

 the loss of the infrastructure and domestic Soviet 

 sales network on which they relied over the past half 

 century. Most importantly, they can no longer count 

 on cheap, subsidized Soviet diesel oil, but have to 

 purchase it widi foreign currencies. The difficult 



