The ships are referred to as part of North Korea’s „dark fleet“ because they do not publicly broadcast their location or appear in public surveillance systems, and they often violate global maritime regulations. Dozens of these ships, not well equipped for long-distance travel, were washed away by the waves on Japanese shores In the last years, And sometimes with the dead sailors on board.

Jeon Park, a leading data scientist at Global Fishing Watch, said the unprecedented decline appears to be due to the strict entry and exit restrictions put in place by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to keep Covid-19 out of the country.

Experts believe that Kim closed North Korea’s borders last year and cut its last meager ties with the outside world because he knows Pyongyang’s dilapidated healthcare infrastructure will be overwhelmed by the coronavirus outbreak.

North Korea says it has not contracted a single case of Covid-19, an allegation most experts dismiss as propaganda. But the country appears to have escaped a major wave of infections, thanks in part to strict measures to combat the epidemic, control the movement of people and close borders.

„We can safely say that there is a nationwide shortage of many major food types,“ he said.

Hunting away from home

North Korean fishermen often work illegally outside the country’s domestic waters due to overcrowding.

Global Fishing Watch’s Park said squid fishing in Russian and North Korean territorial waters decreased significantly in 2020. During the peak season from September to November, Global Fishing Watch found 50% fewer vessels of Chinese origin operating in North Korean waters than I did. During the same time in previous years.

However, North Korean squid fishing boats did not benefit. Park said there has been no corresponding increase in North Korean squid fishing in the country’s territorial waters, so it is possible that a large amount of North Korean squid supplies „completely disappeared in 2020.“