China's Global Fishing Offensive

The investigation details how China uses the fleet to extend state power beyond its borders: leveraging fishing access for diplomatic purposes, subordinating civilian vessels to military command, and deploying the fleet for intelligence collection. The military integration is explicit in the seas closest to China, where it maintains a state-directed maritime militia drawn from fishing vessels. Operating under the command of China's military, these vessels feature reinforced hulls and water cannons for coercive tasks, while specialized reconnaissance elements track foreign naval activity and report to Chinese military leaders.

The investigation’s five core findings are:

• China developed a global system that removes distance as a limit on fishing.
• China has monopolized the processing of global seafood supplies through Chinese hubs.
• China engineered a permanent, state-supported cost advantage across all major production inputs.
• China converted seafood processing dominance in global seafood processing power.
• China manipulates global seafood markets to eliminate U.S. processing capacity and increase American dependence.

The investigation outlines several policy recommendations to combat the PRC's distant water fleet, including:

• Enable allied and partner nations to detect, disrupt, and eliminate IUU fishing in their waters by authorizing and funding the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to expand training operations, targeted patrols, and international engagements.
• Increase the visibility of the ties between Chinese commercial fishing and illicit maritime activity by mandating an interagency study on the connections between Chinese commercial fishing and illegal activity and directing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to expand maritime domain awareness and intelligence sharing.
• Require all international fishing vessels to obtain unique identifiers and empower an U.S. Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing to lead a 'Fish for Security' coalition linking fisheries governance and maritime stability.

Read the full report here.