Photo/Illutration Chinese fishing boats set off firecrackers as they set out from a fishing port in Fuzhou in Fujian Province on Aug. 16. (Yohei Kobayakawa)

Chinese fishing boats continue to operate in waters near Japan despite a Chinese embargo on Japanese seafood products over the release of treated water from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Aug. 24 marked a year since plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. began releasing treated water into the Pacific Ocean.

The move triggered an outcry from China, which referred to the discharge of tons of treated water as “nuclear-contaminated water.”

It slapped an outright ban on all imports of Japanese seafood products despite assurances from Tokyo that the move would not harm fish stocks. China said the measure was to protect the health of Chinese consumers.

Initially, a simulation by a Tsinghua University research team in China that spread widely on the internet concluded “contaminated water would reach China’s coastal waters within eight months of the release.” 

And now, a year later, hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels remain active in waters close to Japan, where Japanese fishing boats also operate.

The Fisheries Agency is aware that Chinese fishing boats have continued to operate after the release of treated water.

At noon on Aug. 16, authorities said 839 fishing boats set off firecrackers as they charted a course northeast of China’s Fujian Province.

The port overlooks the Taiwan Strait.

The boats were headed for the East China Sea, where a ban on fishing was partially lifted that day.

A 60-year-old fisherman said, “Depending on the weather, we will go as far as the Diaoyu Islands (China’s name for the Senkaku Islands).”

The man was not concerned about the simulation.

“If there is contamination, the (Chinese) government will not allow us to fish,” he said, adding that no notice had been issued restricting sea areas or fish species in relation to the treated water.

According to local media, 9,795 vessels, 651 more than a year ago, set out from across Fujian Province that day to fish.

The province has a thriving pelagic fishing industry, and many fishing boats from the province headed for the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan.

Using the Global Fishing Watch, a technology that can identify the location of vessels based on their signals, and observing the activities of Chinese fishing vessels, it is clear that they continue to fish not only off the coast of China but also in waters near Japan.

The high seas off the east coast of Nemuro city in Hokkaido, located in the 40-50 degree north latitude and 150-170 degree east longitude region, are rich fishing grounds for mackerel and sardines as well as Pacific saury. Chinese fishing vessels have been active there, too.

According to the GFW data, a total of 8,876 Chinese fishing boats operated in the area from May to July this year, 34 percent more than in the same period last year.

(This article was written by correspondents Yohei Kobayakawa and Ryo Inoue.)

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