[WORLD NEWS★★ – CHINA ILLEGALLY FISHING OFF COAST OF WEST AFRICA]
(P1) Chinese companies have been illegally fishing off the coast of West Africa, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said in a study Wednesday, at times sending incorrect location data suggesting they are as far away as Mexico or even on land.
(P2) The number of Chinese fishing boats operating in Africa has SOARED in recent decades, from just 13 in 1985 to 462 in 2013, the international environmental group said.
(P3) It found 114 cases of illegal fishing by such vessels over an eight-year period in the waters off Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. The boats were mostly operating without licences, or in PROHIBITED areas.
(P4) 60 cases involved vessels of the China National Fisheries Corporation (CNFC), a state-owned company charged with developing fishing in distant seas.
(P5) “While the Chinese government is starting to eliminate some of the most destructive fishing practices in its own waters, the LOOPHOLES in existing policies lead to a DOUBLE STANDARD in Africa,” Ahmed Diame, a representative of Greenpeace Africa, said in a statement.
(P6) The Chinese ships are “taking advantage of weak enforcement and supervision from local and Chinese authorities to the DETRIMENT of local fishermen and the environment,” said Rashid Kang, head of Greenpeace East Asia’s China ocean campaign.
(P7) “Unless the government REINS IN this element of ROGUE companies, they will seriously JEOPARDIZE what the Chinese government calls its MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL partnership with West Africa,” he added.
(P8) Chinese companies are increasingly looking abroad for resources, with fish no exception.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Why would Chinese ships look for fish so far away from China?
- It seems to be getting harder to find fish for people to eat. Why might this be true?
- Why do Chinese ships choose to break the law off the coast of Africa, instead of the coast of the United States or Europe?
- Is good quality fish becoming more expensive to buy in your country?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Double standard
- Rein in
- Mutually beneficial
