Alarm over discovery of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels near Galpagos Islands

[Judi Lynn]

The fleet, found just outside a protected zone, raises the prospect of damage to the marine ecosystem

Dan Collyns in Lima
@yachay_dc
Published onMon 27 Jul 2020 20.01 EDT

Ecuador has sounded the alarm after its navy discovered a huge fishing fleet of mostly Chinese-flagged vessels some 200 miles from the Galápagos Islands, the archipelago which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

About 260 ships are currently in international waters just outside a 188-mile wide exclusive economic zone around the island, but their presence has already raised the prospect of serious damage to the delicate marine ecosystem, said former environment minister Yolanda Kakabadse.

“This fleet’s size and aggressiveness against marine species is a big threat to the balance of species in the Galápagos,” she told the Guardian.

Kakabadse and an ex-mayor of Quito, Roque Sevilla, were on Monday put in charge of designing a “protection strategy” for the islands, which lie 563 miles west of the South American mainland.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/27/chinese-fishing-vessels-galapagos-islands

[captain queeg]

1. Hmmm. That's not good.

[Laelth]

2. No. It's not. n/t

-Laelth

[Maraya1969]

3. I'm beginning to be a Marxist. So much evil comes from capitalism!

If the love of money is the root of all evil then capitalism is the tree that sprouts from it.

[calimary]

4. I know what you mean. And I know that feeling, too.

[Mosby]

5. The problem isn't capitalism.

It's the way that "developing countries" utilize resources.

[Maraya1969]

9. Just look at US insurance companies.

We are not a developing country and yet they're horrible.

[PETRUS]

10. ...

[Cal Carpenter]

11. Yes, those people in developing countries need to find a better way

to have their people and resources violently exploited, often against their will, and almost never to their own benefit, by the developed countries and their corporations.

Oh wait, that's capitalism...

[Mosby]

12. It's unrestricted capitalism that's the problem

not the regulated capitalism in the West.

If anything, we are being exploited as Chinas largest market.

In terms of fishing:

1 China 11.5 million tons 1999
2 Peru 8.26 million tons 1999
3 Chile 4.89 million tons 1999
4 Japan 3.96 million tons 1999
5 Russia 3.47 million tons 1999
6 Indonesia 3.41 million tons 1999
7 United States 3.33 million tons 1999
8 Norway 2.55 million tons 1999
9 Thailand 2.34 million tons 1999
10 India


Southeast Asia’s Fisheries Near Collapse from Overfishing


Much of the overfishing and destructive fishing in Southeast Asia is attributable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU). IUU fishing occurs region-wide, with violators ranging from small-scale local fishermen to large-scale enterprises conducted on commercial fishing trawlers. There are many drivers for IUU fishing in the region, not the least of which is that demand now appears to exceed supply. Operationally, the main issue is weak fishing regulations among the region’s many countries, together with a lack of cooperation on management among these countries.

https://asiafoundation.org/2018/03/28/southeast-asias-fisheries-near-collapse-overfishing/

[UpInArms]

6. I am horrified

This is why we just can’t have nice things ...

[Judi Lynn]

7. Last thing in the world one would expect, since it has been a protected area so long! 🦎🐢🐬🐳🐟🐠

[riversedge]

8. As the world focuses on the virus and death toll, countries will take advanage of that.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Ecuador on alert over huge Chinese fishing fleet off Galapagos Islands

29 July 2020



The Galapagos Islands are a Unesco World Heritage site

Ecuador is on alert due to the appearance of a huge fleet of mostly Chinese-flagged fishing vessels off its Galapagos Islands.

Patrols are trying to ensure the fleet - which is made up of around 260 vessels - does not enter the delicate eco-system from international waters.

Chinese vessels travel to the region each year in search of marine species.

In 2017, a Chinese vessel was caught in the marine reserve with 300 tonnes of wildlife, most of it sharks.

"We are on alert, [conducting] surveillance, patrolling to avoid an incident such as what happened in 2017," Ecuadorean Defence Minister Oswaldo Jarrin told reporters.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53562439

Also posted at Environment and energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127139314