Maritime exploitation · The Americas
Follow Chinese-linked fleets and the networks behind them. From coastal waters to distant markets: the catches, the companies, the people, and the evidence.
The Americas first. Cross-ocean connections where the records lead.
The Americas, connected
CASE GEOGRAPHY / NOT LIVE TRACKSExplore the case files →
Outlines: Natural Earth / World Atlas. Markers indicate locations discussed in the research.
A selected research collection—not an offender count or a census of the entire fleet.
Start with the evidence
The National Court’s 18 July 2019 decision ordered forfeiture of Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, identified Hong Long as its owner, and confirmed compensation of approximately US$6.14 million.
Argentina’s Prefectura describes Hua Li 8 fishing illegally in 2016, resisting inspection and later being detained in Indonesia following international cooperation. The record distinguishes a federal judicial order from an INTERPOL Purple Notice; a Purple Notice is not itself an arrest warrant.
Treasury’s 2022 action identifies Dalian Ocean Fishing and Li Zhenyu in connection with serious abuse.
Treasury’s 9 December 2022 action identifies Pingtan Marine Enterprise, Fuzhou Honglong and Xinrong Zhuo, with described corporate and operational relationships. A current public SDN-list check on 8 September 2026 found these three entries and the entries for Dalian Ocean Fishing and Li Zhenyu still present.
PRODUCE’s October 2024 explanation of Decreto Supremo 014-2024-PRODUCE describes strengthened controls over foreign fishing vessels and satellite-monitoring arrangements. EJF subsequently reports a shift in port use toward Chile.
A furniture business concealed a marine-wildlife trade route from Mexico through the United States to China. DOJ records establish guilty pleas and a later sentencing—not just an accusation.
Beyond the fishing vessel
Fishing, labor, shipping and trade are often investigated separately. A connected record helps show where responsibility begins—and where an apparent connection still needs proof.
Recruitment, debt, wages and the ability to leave.
Names, flags, permits and who is in control.
Carriers, fuel, crew transfers and port services.
Processing, declarations, buyers and money.
Investigations, judgments, responses and remedies.
A regional benchmark
528
This is fleet scale—not a count of illegal vessels. The Secretariat’s data provide a defined year and region for understanding fishing effort.01
Read the numbers and the rules →The human record
ITF’s study records 66 crew deaths or disappearances associated with 59 SPRFMO-registered vessels during 2013–2023. The records include different causes and flags; they are not 66 findings of murder or trafficking.07
What followed matters: medical treatment, wages, repatriation, investigation and compensation. Chinese crew, as well as migrant workers, appear in the record.07
Follow the human consequences →Built to be useful
Start with what happened, why it matters and what the record actually establishes.
Find a starting point →Follow jurisdiction, vessel identities, administrative actions and judicial outcomes.
Explore enforcement →Inspect sources, compare connected actors and download the structured records.
Work with the data →