Today, Chairman John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China and Chairman Carlos Giménez of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee released an investigation into China's global fishing practices. The report finds that China is responsible for most illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide. According to the investigation, China operates the largest distant-water fishing fleet in the world, with about 16,000 vessels. The report alleges that this fleet is used to intimidate other countries, control food supplies globally, and deplete fish stocks.
The investigation also highlights concerns over forced labor and human rights abuses within these fleets. It notes that more than 80 percent of seafood consumed in the United States is imported, much of it coming from supply chains dominated by China.
Chairman Moolenaar stated: “The Select Committee has documented how numerous American industries have supply chain concerns that leave the United States vulnerable to China, and the food supply is no exception. This investigation details how the CCP turned unregulated fishing to its advantage and manipulated the world’s food supply in the process. Working with allies we can address vulnerabilities to the food supply the American people rely on and put a stop to China’s exploitation of the oceans.”
Chairman Giménez added: “Communist China’s fishing fleet is not a commercial enterprise; it is a weapon of the Chinese Communist Party. The CCP commands the world’s largest fishing armada like a military force, using it to strip resources from nations, exploit forced labor, destroy marine ecosystems, and dominate global seafood supply chains. The Communist Chinese strategy to monopolize food systems, while devastating economies from West Africa to Latin America, have directly impacted our national security. Our laws were written to regulate fishermen, not to confront a subsidized, state-run fleet designed to evade enforcement and project power. This investigation exposes the reality: the CCP is using seafood as a tool of coercion, and the United States must treat this threat for what it is, a direct threat to our national security and economic sovereignty."
The report outlines five main findings:
- China has developed methods allowing its fleet to fish globally without distance being a barrier.
- Chinese companies have taken control over processing much of the world's seafood.
- State support gives Chinese producers cost advantages across major production areas.
- Dominance in processing translates into global influence over seafood markets.
- These practices have reduced U.S.-based processing capacity and increased dependence on imports.
“These findings expose a deliberate, state-directed campaign by the CCP to achieve maritime dominance, monopolize food systems, and undermine the rules-based international order—constituting a direct threat to U.S. national security, economic sovereignty, and global stability,” according to statements in the investigation.
The report further describes how China's fishing operations serve broader state interests by supporting diplomatic goals abroad and providing intelligence collection capabilities through civilian vessels under military command.
To address these issues, policy recommendations include expanding U.S. Coast Guard training with partner nations against IUU fishing; requiring interagency studies on links between Chinese commercial fishing activities and illicit actions; improving maritime domain awareness; mandating unique identifiers for all international fishing vessels; and creating an interagency group focused on linking fisheries governance with maritime security.
