East Asian Region

Regional Coordinators: Pam McCarthy, Ramunas Zydelis

The East Asia region encompasses the ocean region bordering Vietnam/China border in the north (21° 30’ N), southern limit of Indonesia’s EEZ in the south (13° S), border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in the east (141° E) and southern tip of India in the west (77° E; FAO fishing area 57 and western part of 71).

Project GloBAL’s assessment of regional fisheries and bycatch issues is still in an early stage. Initial information suggests that the entire region is heavily exploited by fisheries, which are largely artisanal. These fisheries target a wide range of species of crustaceans, mollusks, and fish. A large range of vessel sizes operate in the region using a variety of gear. Information on bycatch of non-target organisms is rather limited, however several studies indicate that bycatch of sea turtles and marine mammals occurs in the region. It appears that gillnets are the gear most commonly causing unintended bycatch. Seabird mortality in fishing gear does not appear to be an issue in the region.