Satellite monitoring and maritime exploration detect a sizeable Chinese fleet of fishing vessels, 260 strong, off the shores of the Galapagos islands. The islands are an Ecuadorian marine protected area, as well as a UNESCO world heritage site. Ships were witnessed fishing within the 188 miles limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Ecuadorian archipelagos.
This year’s sighting is not the first time Chinese vessels preside off the coast of the Galapagos. Sightings have run rampant for the last four years. In 2019, the same 188-mile limit saw 245 Chinese fishing vessels.
The cargo onboard includes fishing gear, refrigeration, and processing equipment. The ships also used longline and industrial fishing systems that do not differentiate species. The threat of bycatch in an area where many sharks congregate is threatening nonetheless. These fishing systems pose an immense threat to Galapagos sea life and biodiversity, considering the Galapagos islands have a fragile ecosystem and boast the most abundant shark biomass in the world.
In May 2020, Esperanza, a tagged whale shark, was mysteriously cut off from her tags transmitting location, as announced by Norman Way (president of the Galapagos government council).
As mentioned earlier, this issue is ongoing for four years now. Activists in Ecuador are frustrated over the perceived lack of international attention. Why is the coast guard not inspecting these ships? Something smells fishy here, and if you would like to help, Sharkophile offers options on how to do so. Links to further educate yourself on the issue, as well as other news breaks, will also be provided.
The change.org petition can be found here.
Read about corruption in the fishing industry, including Ecuador, here.
A CASE STUDY ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: BALANCE FOR BIODIVERSITY & MIGRATION can be found here, this is a really neat law publication from Cesar Eduardo Neira.
Follow the Twitter hashtag. I will be retweeting a lot of information about this issue myself (@sharkfinscoop) as I love the Galapagos with all my heart. I have gone diving there and witnessed hammerhead sharks and Galapagos sharks, among many other wonders. My kids deserve to see them too.
Instagram offers informational posts at #SOS Galapagos
Take advantage of the social influence of Facebook. Awareness can spread like wildfire on Facebook, if used correctly, and with good intent.
Hablas Espanol? Tengo familia en Ecuador? Share this youtube video about the issue with them.
The Guardian raises the alarm over here.
The Hong Kong free press reports about this issue here.
Reuters reported about this four days ago here.
Reporting about Ecuador warning China regarding its vessels here.
Read about Chinese-Ecuador relations here.
Sea Shepards work in the Galapagos and be found here.