In collaboration with the Korean Coast Guard, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (Minister Kang Do Hyung) will expand and establish the types of violations subject to penalties from May 1 to strengthen the response towards illegal fishing by foreign vessels.
As a part of a follow-up action to the agreement reached at the 23rd Korea-China Fisheries Joint Committee last year in November, this measure is the result of collaboration between three departments: the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Korea Coast Guard, and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
The five newly established types of violations include not installing or operating the Automatic Identification System (AIS), a significant discrepancy between the international gross tonnage written on the fishing permit and the actual measurement, or exceeding the set tonnage for each type of fishing, not possessing the certificate indicating the volume of the set area that must be carried on the fishing vessel. Violators will receive a fine of up to KRW 300 million (approximately $250,000).
Kang Do Hyung, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said, “From May 1, we will be able to effectively crack down on illegal fishing through measures such as mandatory installation and operation of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on vessels,” and added, “With the expansion of the types of violations subject to penalties, we have laid the foundation for strict enforcement of the law against illegal fishing by foreign vessels. We will continue to strengthen our guidance and enforcement capabilities against illegal fishing by foreign vessels through collaboration among related agencies.”