The Fisheries Agency plans to conduct research on coral resources in waters around Okinawa Island starting in August following the poaching of jewelry coral (see below) in waters near Japan by Chinese fishing boats, according to sources.
Chinese fishing boats continuously conducted illegal fishing operations in waters off Okinawa Prefecture around 2013 through 2014. Since data on the distribution of jewelry coral was collected just before the intensive poaching, the agency aims to demand that the Chinese government crack down on poaching and take measures to prevent future occurrences by comparing the data to conditions after poaching.
Jewelry coral poaching surfaced after more than 200 fishing boats were confirmed on occasions in waters near Tokyo’s Ogasawara Islands between September last year and January this year.
When the agency conducted research in the area in March this year, 381 fishing nets believed to be from Chinese fishing boats were found on the seabed. The Japanese government then demanded through diplomatic channels that the Chinese government take measures to prevent future occurrences.
There were no documents on the conditions of the seabed in waters off Ogasawara Islands, however, meaning proving the extent of damage was difficult.
In contrast, teams of researchers from Kochi University and Rissho University had taken images of the seabed around the islands of Okinawa Prefecture from 2010 to 2012 to check on the condition of jewelry coal. The researchers gathered data, including the distribution and density of jewelry coral, in about 10 locations in Okinawa Prefecture, with areas varying from about 20,000 to 60,000 square meters.
According to the agency, a total of about 200 Chinese fishing boats assumed to be vessels of jewelry coral poachers were confirmed on occasions in 2013 and 2014 in waters around Okinawa Prefecture.
Though the areas were inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Japanese and Chinese governments agreed in their bilateral fisheries accord in 1997 that Chinese fishing boats would be allowed to conduct normal fishing activities and Japanese laws would not be enforced on Chinese nationals in certain areas inside the EEZ, between a latitude of 27 degrees north and a sea border in the East China Sea.
Exploiting jewelry coral is prohibited by Chinese law and doing so in Japan requires permission from local governments, but the Japanese side could not take action against the Chinese fishing boats.
The agency plans to conduct research for about a month from late August, with plans to use a fisheries research vessel to take images of the seabed by deploying an unmanned deep-sea vehicle several hundred meters below the surface of the sea. Researchers will look for broken coral branches and investigate how seabed geographical landscapes were affected by fishing nets.
The agency will then compare results with video footage and other data provided by research teams to determine the size of the impacted area and the extent of damage.
Even if traces of poaching are found, concluding that the damage was caused by the Chinese fishing boats would be difficult though the agency is also planning to examine fishing nets left on the seabeds. Chinese authorities have taken action against some of the Chinese fishing boats.
If sufficient evidence is gathered through the research that Chinese fishing boats are responsible for the poaching, the agency will again demand that China crack down on poaching during an annual meeting of the Japan-China Joint Committee on Fisheries.
Species such as red coral and pink coral considered precious as gemstones, found on the seabed 100 meters or deeper. In China, red coral is especially popular and sometimes traded at about ¥6 million per kilogram. Major production sites in Japan include waters close to Okinawa Island, near Ogasawara Island, off Kochi Prefecture and off Kagoshima Prefecture.
The Yomiuri Shimbun