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Satellite movement of the Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205 (Image: Milko Schvartzman)
Chinese subsidized fishing vessel maps and studies the Argentine Continental Shelf
ARGENTINA
Friday, January 20, 2023, 01:10 (GMT + 9)
Using satellite detection tools, we have detected unusual behavior in one of the vessels of the Chinese fleet in the South Atlantic.
As part of the regular monitoring that we carry out of the distant water fishing fleets in South America, we have been able to detect that the routes made by the Chinese-flagged Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205 vessel follow patterns that are consistent with the conduct of biological studies and marine geology in the Southwestern Atlantic, on the Argentine Continental Shelf, east of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
As can be seen in the images obtained by the Círculo de Políticas Ambientales through the Global Fishing Watch platform, the satellite position emissions of the ship, rectangular-shaped routes are detected, between latitudes 45 (30) and 47 ( 30) degrees South, and the longitudes of 58 and 60 degrees West, covering some 44 thousand square kms, an area equivalent to half the territory of the province of Corrientes.
These mapping movements may have different intentions, among them, the study of the chemical characteristics of the sea, the target species of fishing, new species to capture, the use of marine genetic resources, and the composition and species of the seabed of the Argentine Continental Shelf (PCA). The PCA was recognized by the United Nations Boundary Commission, under Argentine sovereignty, so these studies, if they do not have the approval of the Argentine State, would be illegal.
The Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205 began her journey on November 12, 2022, avoiding entering the Argentine ZEE
The fleet of ships Lu Qing Yuan Yu, belonging to the firm Qingdao Ocean Fishery Overseas, has a long history of deaths and reports of abuse of Human Rights on board, as well as reports of capture of protected marine species such as the case of the specimen of juvenile elephant seals captured off Argentine Patagonia in 2020 (1).
The base port of this fleet is Montevideo, Uruguay, where the company has had a base of operations since 2015 (2).
The Minister of Science and Technology, Daniel Filmus, signing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Zhigang, the start-up of the Chinese-Argentine Center for the Study of Policies for Innovation and Technology. They will cooperate in biotechnology applied to crops, social sciences, and space, ocean research, energy transition, among other topics of mutual interest.
Although free navigation is a right granted by UNCLOS, this fact may require the Argentine government to ask its Chinese counterpart for explanations, taking into account that this fleet is subsidized by the Asian country, and that a large part of the vessels belong to to the Chinese State, as one of those captured by illegal fishing in the Argentine Sea in 2020, the Lu Rong Yuan Yu 668.
It should be remembered that through bilateral agreements with the Asian power, among which "oceanic studies" are mentioned, and "cooperation in interaction on oceanic issues, conservation of resources and Antarctic spaces", the Argentine Foreign Ministry promotes China to operate within the Argentine Sea (3), so it would be important for the national government to confirm the legality of the vessel's actions and, if so, what is the purpose of the studies they may be carrying out.
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Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero with He Lifeng, president of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China (Photo: Argentine Foreign Office)
Of course, the fishing cooperation agreements with the Beijing government are controversial, especially if we take into account that the Chinese fleet has been carrying out illegal fishing within the Argentine EEZ since 2001, and in several cases these fishing vessels have perpetrated attacks against national security forces, putting the lives of Argentines at risk.
This case could be a step prior to some session of sovereignty to China, as part of the initiative of the national government and the provinces of Tierra del Fuego, Santa Cruz and Chubut, to cede the operation and management of ports in Patagonia to the country. Oriental.
IUU fishing is the greatest threat to the marine ecosystem, and to the fishing economies of South America.
(1)
http://circulodepoliticasambientales.org/assets/pdf/Embarcaciones-chinas-y-coreanas-realizan-caceria-intencional-de-faunamarina-protegida-elefantes-y-lobos-marinos-de-la-Patagonia.pdf
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/fishing-vessels-illegally-target-marine-mammals-in-south-american-waters.phtml
(2)
http://qof-group.com/EN/qyyu.aspx.
(3)
https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/argentina-y-china-acordaron-crear-un-centro-binacional-de-politicas-para-la-innovacion,
https://www.cancilleria.gob.ar/es/destacados/acuerdo-con-china-la-argentina-obtienefinanciamiento-para-obras-de-infraestructura
Milko Schvartzman
Especialista en Conservación Marina y Pesca Ilegal
Círculo de Políticas Ambientales
Argentina
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