The South Korean coast guard killed by a Chinese fisherman is just the latest incident in illegal Chinese fishing in the Yellow Sea.

This happened just days after South Korea "declared war" on illegal fishing in the South Korean exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The government announced higher fines and tighter patrols, but the amount of violence from trying to detain illegal fishers has been escalating.

China's government has said that it finds the latest situation regrettable, and is willing to work with the Korean government to investigate and resolve the issue.

According to Yonhap News Agency, there have been over 2,600 illegal fishing boats and 800 fishermen caught in the EEZ since 2006. And, the situation has been getting worse. 439 boats were caught this year alone -- up 46 percent from last year.

Frankly, the problem is that China's overfished and depleted waters are forcing fisherman further and further out into sea, where they are running into more and more trouble with Korean and Japanese coast guards.

For example, in the 1960's small yellow croaker made up 37 percent of the catch, but by the 1980s it was down to 9 percent. Many of the Fish Ecologically Important Areas, in red below, fall in the region between China and Korea.

Coast guard spokesman Kim Dong-Jin told ABC that the area is full of anchovy, blue crab, and the dwindling croaker. The Yellow Sea is also well-known for various mackerel and squid populations.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, China produced 62 percent of the world's fish in 2008, and that's actually down from 2007.

south korea exclusive economic zone eezSea Around Us ProjectSouth Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone

The last fatal incident over illegal fishing occurred in 2008 when a Chinese fisherman hit the coast guard in the head with a shovel and knocked him overboard. Many Koreans have labeled the Chinese "pirates" now, saying they are not fishermen.

The fact is there are frequently boat incidences in the areas near Korea and Japan because of unclear territorial claims. There also are not enough police to patrol all parts of the EEZ.

But, Japan has agreed to join hands with Korea to combat illegal fishing by the Chinese, even though China's last big incident with Japan was over land disputes for the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Ownership of the islands would effect maritime boundaries and be a big benefit to fishers as well as China's government.

yellow sea fishWorld Wildlife Fund