우리나라 불법어업 단속 체제의 개선에 관한 연구

Abstract

Illegal fishing activities have long been widely practiced in the waters of the Korean Peninsula. It is mainly became small-scale subsistence fishery still accounts for a large part of the Korean fishing industry, which has long been favored with the government support and generosity.

However, such illegal fishing activities are reaching an untolerable level. It could be evidenced by the recent declining profile fishery resources. In particular, the international bilateral fishery agreements among Korea, China and Japan tend to increase fishery conflicts within a country as well as among the countries. So the government is forced to pay a serious attention to fishery conflicts and illegal fishing. All of these circymstances are suggesting that the government improve and/or redesign the existing illegal-fishing prevention system.

In this context, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the problems of illegal fishing activities and the prevention system and to draw some meaningful policy implications. The specific contents of this study are to define the clear concept of illegal fishing, to examine the causes and types of illegal fishing practices.

The results can be summarized as follows :

1. How to improve the laws and regulations

Excessive subdivision of the types of fishery permit may result in the increase of illegal fishermen, so it is required to simplify the fishing types and to reduce the category of illegal fishing. Regulations concerned should be revised so that consistent interpretations of the laws and punishments can be imposed.

2. How to strictly enforce laws

If and when illegal fisherman respond to the government's crackdown on the illegal fishing by using organized force and call for their legitimization, strong and strict law enforcement is required.

The efficient ways to enforce the law should be invented and enforcementand should be strictly imposed first and foremost against the unregistered ships which are the main culprit violating the fishing order.

3. How to improve the supervising system

As illegal fishing is conducted over a wide area, the waters managed by the authorities concerned expand in proportion to it. The existing supervising system is not enough to maintain law and order efficiently. Thus, the existing supervising system composed of patrol vessels should be expanded and the cooperative system with the Maritime Police and other authorities concerned are to be improved.

4. How to reinforce education for fishermen for the law-abiding fishing

When fishermen are detected engaging in illegal fishing, it is necessary to put them under compulsory classes on law-abiding fishing and along with the development of education programmes which enable fishermen to voluntarily conduct law-abiding fishing. Administration structures and necessary resources should be arranged so that comprehensive and systematic education can be conducted.

5. Establishment of the fishing vessel monitoring system

The fishing vessel monitoring system needs to be established in order to keep track of and supervise fishing areas and fishing periods, to have an easy access to catch reports and statistics, and to track down and control the boats by remote operation for the search and rescue efforts of the wrecked ships.