Ecuador and China talk about illegal fishing and protection of the Galapagos Islands Quito, Dec 29 (EFE).- Authorities of Ecuador and China held a virtual meeting on Tuesday in which they discussed the activity of international fishing fleets in the area adjacent to the Insular Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEI) of the Ecuadorian Galapagos Islands. The meeting is a continuation of the bilateral dialogue between the two countries that started last August, when Ecuador expressed its concern about the presence of a large fishing fleet, composed of a majority of Chinese-flagged vessels, very close to the ZEEI. During the talks, Ecuadorian representatives highlighted the actions carried out in regional and multilateral forums, aimed at strengthening the global commitment to the protection of the environment and, especially, marine resources. Likewise, the Ecuadorian delegation highlighted the application of strict surveillance and control measures for fishing fleets that carry out their tasks near the Ecuadorian border area, the Foreign Ministry in Quito indicated in a statement. Ecuador made it clear in the bilateral dialogue that the conservation of the Galapagos Islands and their unique ecosystems on the planet are a "shared responsibility" by the international community and invited China to cooperate with this common objective. Ecuadorian representatives also referred to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, on December 25, when it reiterated the commitment to take strong measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, within a voluntary and unilateral moratorium on fishing on the high seas in the southeast Pacific and Southwest Atlantic. The meeting also reviewed the statement of the foreign ministers of the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile), on their concern about illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities in the region and the actions taken to reduce that threat. Ecuador also announced that it will present at the meeting of the South Pacific Fisheries Management Organization (OROP-PS), next January, some proposals aimed at discouraging so-called "distant fishing activities." The Ecuadorian government seeks diplomatic support in that forum, of which China is also a part, to carry out its suggestions, the Foreign Ministry added in its statement. In the virtual meeting with Chinese representatives, Ecuador demonstrated its intention to develop the capture of giant squid, as an alternative to current fishing activities and to take advantage of the abundance and proximity of that resource to national coasts. The Ecuadorian delegation that participated in the virtual meeting was composed of representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Vice Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries, and the Directorate of Aquatic Spaces of the Navy. The Chinese delegation was composed of representatives of the Fisheries Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Fisheries Association of China. The representatives of the Asian giant reiterated China's willingness to maintain control over its vessels to ensure that they do not engage in illegal unreported and unregulated fishing activities. The Overseas Fisheries Association of China has registered more than 1,600 offshore fishing vessels. Last August, the presence of the foreign fishing fleet, with more than 320 vessels, ignited the alerts in Ecuador and in the region, due to the proximity of the vessels to the ZEEI. The Ecuadorian Navy established a surveillance plan for the foreign fleet with the use of technological means and aeromaritime observation to prevent their entry into the Galapagos Exclusive Zone. In 2017, a Chinese vessel from a fishing fleet that was then carrying out capture tasks in that region was confiscated and its crew arrested for having entered the Galapagos marine reserve with a large fishing load of several species of sharks in danger of extinction.

Government of Ecuador assures that Chinese company has not submitted a request to build pelagic fishing base Fishing sectors in Manta have objected to the presence of the Chinese fleet fishing near the Galapagos reserve area. Photo taken from Puerto de Manta. December 22, 2020 - 06:07 AM After learning that the China Ocean Group Development company has supposed plans to build a fishing base on the high seas, the Ecuadorian government went on to specify that the firm has not presented an investment project proposal. The government's reaction came through the Ministry of Production after the Sea Food Source portal published that that Chinese company signed an agreement to build a fishing base in Ecuador despite tensions between the two countries due to the presence of a Chinese fleet nearby. from the Galapagos reserve. "China Ocean Group Development has not submitted an investment project proposal," said Iván Ontaneda, Minister of Production. That State portfolio added that there are no official requests regarding the intention of that company to build a fishing base on the high seas. According to the Sea Food Source web portal, China Ocean Group Development Co. signed a memorandum of understanding to build a pelagic fishing base in Ecuador. The website reports that Paúl Peñaherrera, Ecuador's commercial counselor in Guangzhou, was at the meeting where this investment was announced. This newspaper wrote to Peñaherrera through his Twitter account, but there was no response. The official retweeted hours before Minister Ontaneda's pronouncement. The Ministry of Production recalled that, in accordance with the Organic Code of Production, projects must be exposed to the Strategic Committee for the Promotion and Attraction of Investment for evaluation and feasibility analysis and communicated to the regulatory authorities. "When contemplating aspects of the fishing sector in Ecuador, the proposal must be reviewed by the fishing regulatory entity in the country, in order to provide specific information and confirm compliance with current regulations and regulations," said the Ministry of Production. Several environmental defenders and unions expressed concern about the alleged interest of that Chinese company in building a pelagic fishing base in Ecuador. The presence of a huge Chinese fleet fishing near the Galapagos reserve has raised concern in recent years about the predatory effect it generates in the archipelago. Roque Sevilla, a tourist entrepreneur with businesses in Galapagos, was one of those who asked the national authorities for explanations in the face of the apparent presence of an Ecuadorian official at the ceremony in which the investment was announced. The Vice Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries spoke of the need for permits before approving operations. Bernardo Hidalgo, vice minister of that entity, assured that to carry out the fishing activity in jurisdictional waters, the authorization of the Undersecretariat of Fishing Resources is required after a report from the Aquaculture and Fisheries Research Institute in which it is confirmed that the activity will not affect the resources. Currently, the governing body for fisheries has decided to establish a moratorium on increasing the fleet and storage capacity in some fisheries in Ecuador.