For the last few years, the Islamic government of Iran has allowed large industrial-scale fishing vessels to become freely active in the Persian Gulf. This action has been faced with ongoing protest by the fishers of southern Iran, who complain that the presence and activities of Chinese fishers has resulted in their unemployment. Nevertheless, no one in the Islamic government has paid serious attention to these protests, sometimes denying the validity of such claims.

Kianoush Jahanbakhsh, one of the members of the City Council in Bandar Abbas Port, has supported people’s claims and announced: “Pay attention to what people say. What they say is truthful. The large Chinese vessels have raised the rate of joblessness and are annihilating generations of livestock in the Persian Gulf.”

He believes it his duty to speak on behalf of the people, but adds that his voice will likewise not be heard.

Another person who agrees with the above claims is Ahmad Moradi, a parliamentary delegate from Hormozgan, who says that, “The Chinese fishing vessels have cruelly curtailed the livelihood of the local fishers and have brought scarcity upon the main food source of the people. Now poor local people are being forced to mainly get their food from the market, with much higher prices.”