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, Reuters reports. 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. “In this period, 149 ships have turned off their satellite systems ... we know the name of the ships,” Jarrin said during a press conference. But environmentalists say this type of fishing allows vessels to take advantage of the abundant marine wildlife that travels in the waters between the Galapagos and the mainland. He said turning off satellite equipment violated rules created by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), a group of international agencies that promote sustainable fishing.

Source: The Standard August 19, 2020 01:28 UTC