Fisher Cuts Fins of Guitarfish in Western Africa

Documentation of a seven-days fishing trip to Guinea Bissau waters with a Chinese distant water fishing vessel showing the Chinese fishing operation process and the loneliness of distant water fishing seaman’s little known life onboard. The crew consists of Chinese and African seamen. China’s distant water fishing industry's impact on West Africa’s natural resources and local artisanal fishermen is seen from the unique angle of a Chinese vessel operating in West African waters. The depletion of China’s domestic fishery resources, which resulted from irresponsible fishing activities in China’s coastal water and poor fishery management, has forced Chinese fishing vessels to travel over tens of thousands miles to find fish in other fishing grounds like the one near West Africa. However, if irresponsible fishing activities are travelling together with the Chinese distant fishing industry and a good regional fisheries management body is still absent, the tragedy that happened in China’s coastal water might be duplicated to other fishing grounds wherever Chinese fishing fleets appear.