Fishing vessels illegally target marine mammals in South American waters
STERDAT 12:00
Conservationists warn sea lions and elephant seals are being captured by foreign vessels in Argentine and Uruguayan waters. Experts call for urgent measures from authorities.
Fermin Koop
FERMIN KOOP
Fermín Koop is an economic and environmental journalist from Buenos Aires.
Last year, a video of a Chinese fishing vessel, the Lu Qing Yuan Yu 206, went viral in Argentina and Uruguay. It shows footage of crew members onboard the ship in the Port of Montevideo, trying to lift something up from below-deck, into the open-air.
After a few seconds, a huge lifeless mammal comes into frame, with a harness gripped tightly around its neck.
As the crew attempts to raise the enormous animal from the hold, the rope of the harness begins to strain against the weight of the carcass. The corpse and the rope begin a horrible dance of death, twirling into a spiral before the crew manages to regain control and set it down.
There, on the deck, lies a large dead elephant seal, a protected species whose capture is strictly banned in Argentine and Uruguayan waters.
EEZs
The Lu Qing Yuan Yu 206 has been stationed in Montevideo since 2014, fishing regularly on the edge of Argentina’s Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ). Many other fleets, from shores such as China, Taiwan, South Korea and Spain, regularly do the same.
More:
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/fishing-vessels-illegally-target-marine-mammals-in-south-american-waters.phtml
= new reply since forum marked as read
