Southeast Pacific / SPRFMO; decision in Manta, Ecuador
When China instructed two vessels to refuse inspection
SPRFMO records explicitly connect two refused U.S. boardings to Chinese government instructions. They also record the decision not to put the vessels on the final IUU list.
Documented state instruction; disputed complianceAugust 2022 refusals; February 2023 decision · Reviewed September 8, 2026
On this page
What the record establishes
The 2023 committee record identifies Zhou Yu 929 and Pu Yuan 755 as the two Chinese-flagged vessels proposed by the United States for IUU listing after refused at-sea inspections on 4 August 2022.6261
China told the Commission that its authorities had directed the refusals, citing its interpretation of the boarding measure. Its submission raised advance notice, registration, communication and pandemic concerns; other members disputed its legal interpretation. This is a stated government action, not an inference from ownership.61
The Commission did not assign China a compliance status on the disputed obligation and agreed not to include the two vessels on the final list. It adopted a more detailed boarding-and-inspection measure. The 2023 final IUU list contained no vessels.61
Why it matters
The case reveals a limit of inspection systems: access can turn on disagreement between states rather than the conduct of a captain alone. It also shows how a provisional blacklist proposal can become a misleading claim of permanent designation if the final meeting decision is omitted.
The sequence
Inspections refused
The two refused boardings are later recorded in SPRFMO proceedings.61
Listing proposed
The United States’ proposal is examined at committee stage.62
Final listing declined
The Commission records the state instruction and excludes the vessels from its final list.61
Responses and legal posture
China contested the inspection’s authorization and relied on its interpretation of the existing rules. Other members disagreed. Both positions and the Commission’s non-listing outcome remain part of the file.61
What remains unresolved
The minutes do not adjudicate every allegation about the voyage or establish that the vessels were illegally catching fish. Refusal, alleged catch violations and dangerous navigation are separate questions. This file does not attribute a reported ramming incident to either vessel without a verified identification.
Direct and documented: China acknowledged instructing the two vessels to refuse the boardings. The legality of that instruction was disputed; the Commission chose not to assess the obligation or impose final listing in this proceeding.
How to read the evidence labels →Sources for this file
10th Compliance and Technical Committee report ↗
Paragraph 58 onward: Zhou Yu 929 and Pu Yuan 755 proposals
Source limits
Committee stage is not the final Commission decision; read with S61.
11th SPRFMO Commission meeting report and annexes ↗
Printed pp. 5–6; Annex 6a Table 12 (PDF p. 68)
Source limits
Records competing legal positions and a decision not to list the two vessels; provisional-list allegations must not be presented as final IUU designation.
