Chinese industrial fishing in North Korean waters has driven down the DPRK’s fish stocks to dangerously low levels. In response to that competition, North Korean fishermen often traverse to neighboring Russian waters and illegally poach there — but now, a new report suggests that this activity has mostly stopped in the COVID-19 era.

On Wednesday, a report from the Global Fishing Watch stated that North Korean fishing boats in Russian waters fell a staggering 95% in 2020, a year when the DPRK’s tight border lockdowns have smothered both official trade and international travel. The report added that North