Article on China's illegal fishing published by BBC World. (Photo: BBC Mundo)

China's economic growth boosts its illegal fishing in Latin America

WORLDWIDE
Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 01:50 (GMT + 9)

An interesting report published by BBC World warns about the extent of the illegal fishing operations performed by Chinese fishing boats in the waters of Latin America.

According to the article author, Daniel García Marco, the economic development of the Asian giant has caused the increase in the demand for shark fin and in the search for this and other precious products in Latin American waters.

The giant squid or Patagonian toothfish in waters of Argentina, tuna in the waters of Chile, shark in those of Colombia and Ecuador or totoaba in those of Mexico, are among the fishery resources that China seeks in the region.

And while there are Chinese fishing vessels operating legally, there are others that do not.

Last week, for example, a coast guard boat of the Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA) sank a Chinese jigger that was fishing in the area of the Argentine EEZ. A few days earlier, another Chinese flagged jigger had managed to escape from the PNA chase and take refuge in Uruguayan waters.

The report highlights that it is rare to use force, but the persecutions and conflicts are common, and although offenders are not only fishing vessels from China, most of them come from the Asian giant.

"Interest in the squid always comes from Asian countries, there is an invasion (of boats)," Guillermo Caille, head of the NGO Patagonia Natural from Argentina and fisheries expert told BBC World.

"There is a cloud of ships having similar flags. They are outside the exclusion zone (200 miles from the coast). One or two enter. After three days, others do so," expressed Caille.

China is the largest fish market in the world and has the largest overseas fishing fleet with 2,460 boats after having grown rapidly in recent decades, according to a study of Nanyang Technological University in the central-eastern area of the country.

The size of this country and its economic growth are two of the key facts showing that Latin America is in its centre stage, also as regards fisheries, stresses BBC World report.

China develops most of its fishing activity overseas in West Africa, where Greenpeace has strongly denounced the illegal activity.

South Korea and Vietnam also make frequent complaints against China, while in Latin America activists criticize the lack of coordinated regional action.
Fishing disputes are not limited to the squid off Patagonia or to the toothfish, further south.

The BBC recalls that last month, China rejected a complaint from Mexico about fishing and trade of the totoaba, a Mexican species at risk of extinction living in the upper Gulf of California.

According to Mexico, there is illegal trade of totoaba leading for the kilogram of the species to be sold between USD 1,500 and USD 20,000 in the Asian market.

In 2013, Mexican authorities seized about USD 2.25 million in illegal totoaba bladders, according to Insight Crime.

Meanwhile, in areas of Ecuador and Colombia, on the Pacific Ocean, the shark is the most sought species by Chinese boats.

In May 2015, Ecuadorian authorities reported on the seizure of nearly 100,000 illegal shark fins. There have also been problems with killings of sharks in the marine sanctuary of Malpelo Island in the Colombian Pacific.

The vast majority of dried shark fins, used for soup, ends up in Hong Kong, according to Maximiliano Bello, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts. There they can reach a price of USD 700 a kilo.

In Peru, the giant squid is the most sought species of Asian boats.

"It is widely eaten in Asia," says BBC World Juan Carlos Osorio, who works in Peru for the international organization Oceana, dedicated to the protection of the oceans.

Osorio denounces the lack of control of the Peruvian authorities on the coast and the "permissive policy".

The BBC World report author notes that the great distance to the shores and the resulting costly monitoring makes it difficult to combat illegal fishing.

Nocturnal satellite photos help detect the fishing offenders by showing the lights of large fleets on the edge of economic exclusion zones. "They are floating cities," ensures Bello on the lights that are detected in the ocean.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is now working with the British Navy on the Catapult system, which shows in real-time if a ship enters the exclusive economic zone or if there is one about to do so, making it possible to warn it or to send the authorities proof of the alleged offense.

Oceana is also working with Google and SkyTruth on a similar satellite position project called Global Fishing Watch.

For its part, FAO has adopted a number of measures for countries to prevent those vessels from mooring at their ports. Thus, the catch would be wasted and illegal fishing would be discouraged.

Therefore, progress is sought to curb illegal fishing, a growing problem in Latin America, China’s centre stage for its growing demand for natural resources.

Read the entire article by BBC World here.

Related articles:

- Prefecture sinks a Chinese jigger fishing illegally
- Is Argentina on the verge of a new conflict with Uruguay?

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