Ecuador raises two proposals to avoid illegal fishing of giant squid in the Pacific Ocean
January 23, 2021, 10:00 am
By: Televistazo
Illegal fishing worries the Ecuadorian state. Every year the arrival of foreign fleets to waters close to the exclusion zone of Ecuador and of the Galapagos Islands has been recorded. The giant squid is its prey.
The government is promoting two proposals before the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, a group that welcomes more than 1,200 fishing fleets from 15 countries.
Iván Ontaneda, Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Industries and Fisheries explains that one of the proposals is to prohibit transshipments on the high seas and that unloading catch is exclusively in authorized ports.
“Currently many of these fleets go to the high seas and work for more than a year making transshipments at sea, but without the efficient and effective control that is required and needed,” explains Ontaneda.
Increasing the number of observers on fishing fleets looking for giant squid is Ecuador’s other proposal.
Illegal and unregulated fishing also has negative effects on the conservation of ecosystems, such as that of the Galapagos Islands. Chancellor Luis Gallegos details that the idea of expanding the archipelago’s marine reserve proposed by the tourism and environmental sector must be agreed upon by all parties.
“I find that the negotiating table can be used to find decent modalities,” says Gallegos.
For Bruno Leone, president of the National Chamber of Fisheries, stated that expanding the reserve would generate great economic losses in his sector.
“We have shown, with figures, that that fishing ground that goes from 40 miles of the reserve to 200 miles of the exclusive economic zone is an exclusive fishing ground for Ecuadorian ships. A large part of the Ecuadorian fleet works there, most of which are small vessels,” details Leone.
The authorities commented that they still support proposals to prevent illegal fishing of the giant squid in international forums with other countries.
Read the original coverage via Ecuavisa at https://www.ecuavisa.com/articulo/noticias/nacional/683571-ecuador-plantea-dos-propuestas-evitar-pesca-ilegal-calamar-gigante
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