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March 29 (UPI) -- A bipartisan bill introduced last week in U.S. Congress could have an impact on the presence of illegal Chinese boats in South Korean territorial waters. According to Lee Jung-sam, the head of fisheries resources at Seoul's Korea Maritime Institute, the bill from the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs includes potential sanctions against the sale of North Korea fishing rights, Yonhap reported Wednesday.
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China currently owns rights to fish in North Korea waters. South Korean intelligence officials have previously stated North Korea sold about $75 million of its sovereign fishing rights to China.
But the policy has resulted in an unexpected surge of Chinese fishing vessels in South Korean waters near the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, also known as the Northern Limit Line, according to Seoul.
About 900-1,000 Chinese boats were seen near the NLL in 2016, and as many as 1,500 Chinese fishing boats are active in South Korea-claimed waters.
If the U.S. bill becomes law, the United States could boycott Chinese businesses that deal with North Korea, South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh reported.
The sanctions could hit specific Chinese entities that hold North Korea fishing rights and pressure illegal fishing vessels to scale back activities in waters around the maritime border.
They could result in a wholesale crackdown on all Chinese ships operating without permission near the coast of the Korean peninsula, according to Lee.
The analyst also said China is expected to rein in Chinese fishing boats near the NLL to avoid penalties as a result of such sanctions, and South Korea must use diplomatic channels to stand up to illegal Chinese fishing.
Chinese fisherman are known to use a method called bull trawling – illegal in South Korea – to maximize their catches of fish, but the tactic leads to permanent damage to the ecosystem, according to the Los Angeles Times.
