[News] Some 400 Chinese vessels are off the coast of Pisco, fishing businessmen warn

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Around 400 fishing vessels of Chinese origin are on the coast of Pisco (Ica), warned the president of the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the National Society of Industries (SNI), Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre. Until recently, these ships were near the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador).

“It is the so-called Squid Route, which involves the coasts of Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. At this moment, they are off the coast of the province of Pisco and will continue their journey south to reach Chile and, later, to the marine waters off Argentina, ”said the representative of the fishing union.

Hours ago, the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister, Luis Gallegos, reported that a foreign fishing fleet, predominantly Chinese in origin, had moved from the Exclusive Economic Zone that surrounds the Galapagos Islands to the north of Peru.

 

 

 

Satellite monitoring
Faced with this situation, Miranda considered it appropriate to recall that the Ministry of Production recently established the obligation for foreign fishing vessels to carry satellite equipment that allows monitoring. In this way, it will be ensured that they do not engage in illegal fishing.

"I hope that this control is working and that the Navy has the necessary means to allow it to control the huge Chinese fleet, which in the past has had dubious behavior," he said.

As he pointed out, each squid fishing boat has a hold with a capacity for 300 tons of said resource. Thus, the 400 ships could capture up to 120,000 tons of giant squid or squid.

Before the issuance of that regulation, it was estimated that illegal squid fishing captured about 50,000 tons each year valued at US $ 85 million.