When Fishing Boats Go Dark At Sea, They're Often Committing Crimes
December 25, 2022
Heather Welch (The Converstion)–In January 2019, the Korean-flagged fishing vessel Oyang 77 sailed south toward international waters off Argentina. The vessel had a known history of nefarious activities, including underreporting its catch and illegally dumping low-value fish to make room in its hold for more lucrative catch.
At 2 a.m. on Jan. 10, the Oyang 77 turned off its location transponder at the edge of Argentina’s exclusive economic zone– a political boundary that divides Argentina’s national waters from international waters, or the high seas. At 9 p.m. on Jan. 11, the Oyang 77 turned its transponder back on and reappeared on the high seas. For the 19 hours when the ship was dark, no information was available about where it had gone or what it did.
In a recent study, I worked with colleagues at Global Fishing Watch, a nonprofit that works to advance ocean governance by increasing transparency of human activity at sea, to show that these periods of missing transponder data actually contain useful information on where ships go and what they do. And authorities like the International Maritime Organization can use this missing data to help combat illegal activities at sea, such as overfishing and exploiting workers on fishing boats.
Illegal fishing causes economic losses estimated at $US10 billion to $25 billion annually. It also has been linked to human rights violations, such as forced labor and human trafficking. Better information about how often boats go dark at sea can help governments figure out where and when these activities may be taking place.
More:
https://gcaptain.com/when-fishing-boats-go-dark-at-sea-theyre-often-committing-crimes/
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Galapagos sea lions
Sea lions swim near San Cristobal at Galapagos Marine Reserve in Ecuador, which has been trying to stop unsustainable fishing off its coast but is wary of antagonising China - a country that has poured billions of dollars of investment into Ecuador as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative [File: Jorge Silva/Reuters]
Published On 19 Aug 2020
19 Aug 2020
Ecuador’s armed forces said on Tuesday that dozens of vessels from a predominantly Chinese fishing fleet that is operating near the Galapagos Islands have turned off tracking systems to prevent monitoring of their activities.
Of around 325 ships still fishing in the waters near the ecologically sensitive Galapagos, 149 have at some point in recent months cut off communications, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Darwin Jarrin told reporters.
Galapagos park rangers make an August 2017 inspection of a Chinese flagship where 300 tonnes of marine species, several of them in danger of extinction, were found [File: Galapagos National Park via Associated Press]
“In this period, 149 ships have turned off their satellite systems … we know the name of the ships,” Jarrin said during a press conference. He declined to identify the vessels.
The complaint comes as the South American nation is seeking to prevent unsustainable fishing off its coast while also avoiding a confrontation with China, its largest financier and a major market for its shrimp export business.
More:
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/8/19/ecuador-says-chinese-fishing-fleet-off-galapogos-has-gone-dark
