China Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (FLEC)

The China Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (FLEC), an organ of the Fisheries Management Bureau under the PRC Ministry of Agriculture, is responsible for the enforcement of laws concerning fishing and maritime resources within PRC’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZ). FLEC’s responsibilities include protecting Chinese fishing vessels and personnel, resolving disputes in fishing activities, preventing illegal fishing, and protecting maritime resources.

FLEC has set up three regional headquarters in Yantai, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to carry out law enforcement patrols in the Boahi Sea/Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea respectively. Each coastal province and city also set up local fishery law enforcement agencies to perform similar functions at local level under the direction and supervision of FLEC. FLEC Headquarters in Beijing is responsible for coordinating operations between different local fisheries law enforcement headquarters and agencies.

FLEC has been co-operating with the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the marine law enforcement agencies of Japan, South Korea, and Canada in preventing illegal fishing activities in the high seas of the North Pacific.