Alarm over discovery of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels near Galápagos Islands

Exposing the Big Game

The fleet, found just outside a protected zone, raises the prospect of damage to the marine ecosystemSeascape: the state of our oceans is supported byAbout this content

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/27/chinese-fishing-vessels-galapagos-islands?utm_term=0c7538d7bee3b9e6cd9120e1a3030b84&utm_campaign=GreenLight&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=greenlight_email

Dan Collynsin Lima@yachay_dc

Mon 27 Jul 202020.01EDTFirst published on Mon 27 Jul 202019.42EDT

Shares13,659

Fishing and tourist boats are anchored in the bay of San Cristóbal, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Photograph: Adrian Vasquez/AP

Ecuador has sounded the alarm after its navy discovered a huge fishing fleet of mostly Chinese-flagged vessels some 200 miles from theGalápagos Islands, the archipelago which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

About 260 ships are currently in international waters just outside a 188-mile wide exclusive economic zone around the island, but their presence has already raised the prospect of serious damage to the delicate marine ecosystem, said a former environment minister, Yolanda Kakabadse.

“This fleet’s size and aggressiveness against marine species is…

View original post 458 more words