North Korea continued elevated exports of seafood in September, a trend which saw a massive jump in shipments to China beginning in June, data from the Korean International Trade Association (KITA) shows.

The DPRK has traditionally sent millions of dollars’ worth of seafood to China each month, though 2016 appears to have been a bumper year for North Korean fishermen.

But whether the increase is due to improving practices, larger numbers of fishermen or more general maritime fluctuations is difficult to pin down.

“The biggest factor is the amount of the fish getting caught