Chinese fishermen under-report haul from foreign waters, say researchers

Chinese fishing boats catch about 4.6 million tonnes of fish in foreign waters each year - a haul worth about US$11.5 billion - and substantially under-report their netted take, according to findings by overseas researchers.

The study, called "China's distant-water fisheries in the 21st century", was funded by the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee and conducted by 20 scientists and researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Their findings were recently published in the academic journal Fish and Fisheries.

The estimated total haul in foreign waters is about 12 times the average of 368,000 tonnes a year reported to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, which keeps track of global fisheries catches.

Experts say that, in light of rapidly depleting fish populations, drastic action is needed - namely, more accurate data on fishery catches.

Professor Daniel Pauly, a marine biologist at the university and the paper's lead author, said that global demand for fish is putting too much strain on supply.

"There is a race among countries for diminishing resources," he said.