Nearly four years ago, U.N. sanctions banned North Korea from selling its seafood abroad or peddling fishing permits that grant access to its domestic waters — both profitable enterprises that could, in theory, fund the country’s nuclear program. But Chinese vessels have continued to buy these permits, plucking squid to the point of seriously depleting North Korea’s marine stock.

Now, a new report from an NGO called the Global Fishing Watch suggests that Chinese fishing ships in North Korean waters have dropped by 30% in 2020. Not only does this signal intermittent relief for DPRK waters, but