Planet Tracker report reveals scale of Chinese government’s stake in tuna sector

A report recently released by London, U.K.-based sustainable finance nonprofit Planet Tracker highlights how deeply China’s distant-water fleet is entrenched in the global tuna industry and whether the Chinese government has the ability, or desire, to effectively regulate its fishing industry.Titled “Fishful Thinking,” the report points out China’s state-owned companies have cornered the tuna portion of the country’s massive distant-water fishing output, while private companies dominate the less-profitable squid-fishing sector.The subsidies China hands out to its distant-water fleet have been the subject of scrutiny at ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations to end subsidies leading to overfishing and overcapacity.China acknowledged some of its vessels do not comply with a 2022 WTO deal limiting subsidies, but pledged to ensure it adheres to the deal’s terms. However, the depth at which the government is entrenched in the nation's tuna-fishing industry and the sector's ...