(MENAFN- QNA) South Korea and China will hold a joint inspection of fishing boats operating in their shared waters in the Yellow Sea this week, a move aimed at reducing the number of Chinese ships fishing illegally in South Korean waters, the Seoul government said Sunday.
South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement run by (Yonhap) news agency, that the week-long joint inspection will begin Wednesday, explaining that the joint fishing area was set up under the countries' annual fisheries agreement signed in 2001 and is open to any ship from both countries without the need to report to each other's governments.
However, the area is often said to serve as a stopover for a large number of Chinese ships entering South Korea's exclusive waters illegally due to its proximity to South Korea's maritime border.
"As many as 2,000 Chinese ships are said to operate in the joint fishing zone during the catch season while a large number of them are believed to violate the country's exclusive economic zone at night or in high waves when a crackdown is difficult," the ministry said in a press release.
The upcoming joint inspection is expected to help greatly reduce the number of Chinese ships fishing illegally in the country's exclusive waters.
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