According to the report, the invasive threat of illegal Chinese fishing vessels in Latin American waters continues, depleting fish stocks and impacting regional economies. published Spanish news agency EFE reported on Sunday.
The constant presence of illegal Chinese vessels and their impact on local fauna and economies has caused great concern among local authorities seeking to curb the destruction of their countries’ natural resources. EFE’s report gathered testimony from Chilean, Peruvian, Ecuadorian and Argentine authorities.
The report found that Chinese fishing boats in Argentina are causing the plunder of native species found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, such as squid and greenlings. The affected area is approximately 500 miles east of San Jorge Bay and adjacent to the country’s exclusive economic zone. zone (EEZ) and is a major source of biodiversity that is key to the spawning and feeding of seabirds and marine mammals such as southern right whales.
The report found that during the busy fishing season from January to July 2023, around 400 fishing vessels were fishing in this area using trawl nets. According to data from the Global Fishing Watch platform, Chinese fishing vessel activity in Argentine waters increased from 61,727 hours per 500 square kilometers in 2023 to 384,056 hours per 500 square kilometers in 2024.
Since 1986, Argentine authorities have seized 80 foreign-flagged fishing vessels, 12 of which were Chinese. In 2016, Argentine coast guard authorities tracked him down. sank Chinese vessels are identified as: Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 After illegal fishing was detected in the exclusive EEZ area.
This screen capture from a video released by the Argentine Navy on March 14, 2016 shows the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Yan Yuanyu 010 in Argentine national waters off the coast of Puerto Madryn, Argentina. (Argentine Navy, Associated Press)
The head of marine conservation at WWF Ecuador’s Ecuador office told EFE that the illegal presence of Chinese fleets in Ecuador is “perpetual.”
Chinese fishing vessels searching for giant squid are reportedly equipped to catch all kinds of species. They are accompanied by support vessels that pick up their catch and provide food and fuel.
In 2023, the Ecuadorian government signed a cooperation agreement. agreement Cooperated with the United States to help combat illegal Chinese fishing vessels in Ecuadorian waters following actions that endangered marine biodiversity in the Galapagos Islands.
of The Galapagos Islands have one of the highest levels of endemism on Earth, with species found nowhere else.unique biodiversity inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Scalloped hammerhead shark in the ocean galapagos Islands. (Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“While publicly exposing China’s misdeeds has had some effect, the operations of China’s heavily subsidized fleet remain unclear,” Guerrero told EFE.
In August 2017, Ecuadorian authorities seized a Chinese ship. Fu Yuan Yu Ren 999 This is because they crossed the Galapagos Marine Reserve without proper permission. Authorities inspected the ship and found it contained more than 7,600 sharks, 432 of which were fetuses, as well as 537 bags of shark fins and 2,114 fish.
A view of a Chinese-flagged vessel seized by the Ecuadorian Navy in the waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve on August 25, 2017. (JUAN CEVALLOS/AFP, Getty Images)
This incident remains Ecuador’s most emblematic Chinese illegal vessel seizure incident.After the ship’s seizure, Chinese authorities claimed that their vessel was no more than 200 miles from Galapagos territorial waters, but an investigation showed published In 2022, the Ecuadorian government discovered that most of the man-made waste found near the island came from illegal Chinese fishing boats.
In Peru, illegal Chinese fishing vessels have been fishing for squid along the country’s maritime borders for decades. The situation has been condemned by various conservation and fishing organizations, who are warning against illegal encroachment into Peruvian waters.
Juan Carlos Sueiro, head of fisheries for the non-governmental organization Oceana, told EFE that this is not a new problem and that Peru’s artisanal fishermen are the most affected by the illegal activities of Chinese fishing vessels.
In 2020, Peru passed a law allowing only ships using Peruvian satellite systems to enter its ports, while systems used by Chinese ships were not allowed and were immediately turned off when entering Peruvian waters. became.
Sueiro explained that Peru ended up accepting the arrival of Chinese ships under the pretext of forced arrival.
The report also revealed that Chile is challenging the illegal capture of species by “barriers of Chinese ships overlooking Antarctica.”
Local activists in the Chilean city of Punta Arenas told EFE that this “wall” of Chinese ships is responsible for the depletion of the Magellan coast and the outbreak of red tide, which is linked to the natural cycle of marine animals between Antarctica and Antarctica. He pointed out that this was due to the lack of. The southernmost territory of South America.
According to the EFE report, overfishing of these fishing grounds will prevent a variety of fish and mammals, including whales, from accessing the coasts of Chile and Argentina, disrupting the food chains of both countries.
“While Chile has not recorded any illegal fishing violations, we continue to monitor these vessels as they travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean,” César Astete, head of fisheries at the environmental nonprofit Oceana, told EFE. told.
“It is hoped that all countries will develop efforts to monitor and control the fishing operations of foreign long-distance fleets,” he added.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
