ABSTRACT
This chapter examines “border fishing” in Northeast Asia, or how international relations plays out in fishing arrangements between China, South Korea, and Japan and its implications for the region. It details the current conflicts over fishing grounds situated between these three states and particularly in the areas from the western part of the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea. The fishing boats of the Northeast Asian nations compete against each other in these “narrow seas.” The boats excluded from these areas are forced to move to other fishing grounds in Northeast Asia, generating further conflict. This regionalisation of conflict has also been affected by the transition to the 200-nautical mile system required by the international ocean regime and territorial issues. The region’s territorial disputes, including those of Senkaku/Diaoyu and Takeshima/Dokdo, not only affect the surrounding sea areas but also have a negative impact on all bilateral fisheries negotiations and coordination. Furthermore, these territorial disputes are directly linked to security, and international politics over this issue also makes fisheries negotiations and coordination difficult. This chapter develops four conceptual lenses through which to understand these conflicts: as constituting “turf battles,” “billiard ball collisions,” “entangled with territorial disputes,” and “international politics.” It details the commonalities and characteristics of some of these fishing conflicts in Northeast Asia and points to ways in which such conflicts could be ameliorated and, ultimately, overcome.
