Four South American countries joined forces Wednesday in a bid to combat illegal fishing by huge Chinese fleets off their coasts.

Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru threatened measures "to prevent, discourage and jointly confront" illegal fishing near their exclusive economic zones in the Pacific.

The joint statement made no specific mention of China but environmental groups Greenpeace and Oceana have repeatedly warned of the growing presence of massive Chinese fishing fleets in the area.

The South American quartet said they would boost "cooperation and real-time exchange of information" to highlight illegal fishing off their coasts.

Ecuador in July complained to China over a massive 300-trawler fishing fleet off Galapagos, saying around half of them had turned off their tracking systems so they couldn't be located.

Beijing in early August banned its vessels from fishing near the Galapagos from September to November this year.

The Chinese fleet instead headed south through international waters to fish near the exclusive economic zones of Peru and Chile, according to NGO Oceana.

Oceana has accused the Chinese of "pillaging" the waters off the Galapagos, primarily for squid, thereby depriving some species in the waters of the protected archipelago -- including fur seals and hammerhead sharks -- of their essential diet.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Goby fins are as touch sensitive as human fingertips
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 03, 2020
Primate fingertips are incredibly touch sensitive. According to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the fins of gobies are too. From the moment of birth, humans start grabbing and touching. The ability to experience and manipulate the world through touch is one of the qualities that make humans and their closest primate relatives unique. It turns out, however, that some fish are also quite touch sensitive. "A whole host of fishes contact the bottom of bod ... read more