Fishing activities continued for days around a massive oil spill site in East China Sea even after the incident, a BBC investigation suggests.

Most of the fishing vessels in the impacted region were identified as Chinese.

Independent experts say fishing was stopped much later and reports in the Chinese media indicate the same.

There have been major concerns over possible contamination in seafood and marine life in and around the region.

The BBC obtained satellite images and data showing the presence of fishing boats in the area following the event.

The spill occurred after an oil tanker collided with another cargo ship on January 6 before sinking more than a week later.

It was transporting 136,000 tonnes or almost one million barrels of ultra-light crude oil, known as condensate, to South Korea.

Experts say it is the first time petroleum product of this type has spilled in such huge quantity.

It is feared to be highly toxic and is invisible unlike the shimmering slick on sea surface seen after crude-oil leaks.

China is a major seafood exporter and the impacted region is known to be rich in fisheries including species like crab, squid, yellow croaker, mackerel, among others.

The Chinese state oceanic administration did not respond to our repeated requests for comment on fishing activities.

According to the agriculture ministry website, an area of 30 nautical miles radius from the accident site was declared as a prohibited zone after the accident

source:www.bbc.com