The nets of three Chinese fishing boats were destroyed in Shanghai yesterday after they were involved in drift net fishing in the North Pacific Ocean late last year. 

The boats owned by two Shandong-based fishing firms, were seized by Chinese and United States fishery officials in early October during a joint patrol task. Fishermen on the boats reportedly tried to evade checks and cover up information. 

After an investigation, China’s fishery management authority confiscated 81.33 tons of squid and fishing tackle from the boats and fined each boat 50,000 yuan (US$6,878). 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolutions banning the use of large-scale drift nets that ensnare marine mammals because it poses a threat to fishery resources as well as the ecosystem. 

Drift nets, described as "walls of death," are suspended vertically in the water with floats attached to the top and weights fixed to the bottom. Once set, the nets will drift with the wind and currents, entangling any living creature that swims into them. 

Some fishermen are still using drift nets due to the low cost and big haul of fish it nets.