JULY 2020
In the Galápagos Islands
JULY 1
Galapagos Islands reopened for tourism though regular flights to the island are still not scheduled
Some residents express concern that those speaking on behalf of different economic sectors at these economic reactivation discussions did not represent their opinions or interests.
Among the rules that have been established within this community of more than 4000 members is that no sale or talk of money is allowed, only exchange, promotions can not be disseminated and the most important thing is that there is seriousness between the two people for the exchange. In each transaction that is carried out, a photograph of the exchange carried out is uploaded.
JULY 13
The Ministry of the Environment and Water (MAAE) announced the reopening of the 85 visitor sites in the National Park and the 98 visitor sites in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.Visitors must comply with the access protocol approved by the provincial COE which includes health security measures such as: use of a mask and hand gel or alcohol. In the case of recreation sites near populated ports, the maximum stay at the site will be three hours.
JULY 16
Ecuador scrambles to find “joint solutions” with China on COVID-driven shrimp sagaEcuadorian President Lenín Moreno has sent a letter to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, asking the latter to find joint solutions on the temporary sanction that Beijing imposed on three Ecuadorian shrimp farms, prohibiting exports to the country. “We support our shrimp exporters, which have safety and biosecurity protocols recognized by the Chinese government. I sent a letter to President Xi Jinping to find joint solutions, normalize the situation and maintain our international prestige in that market,” Lenín announced on Twitter.
The Latin American leader has reason to be concerned. On 10 July the General Directorate of Chinese Customs announced the suspension of three Ecuadorian shrimp companies – Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila, Empacreci, and Empacadora Del Pacifico – from exporting to the country. According to reports from Chinese health authorities, samples taken from one of the internal walls of a container transporting Ecuadorian shrimp tested positive for COVID-19, as well as on the outer surface of five boxes from these companies.
JULY 22
Commercial flights to Galapagos will resume on August 3The flights will resume four months after the archipelago stopped receiving tourists through regular commercial flights. Since the COVID-19 health emergency began, airlines have only made special flights to bring settlers and take out stranded visitors.
Esperanza is part of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project’s study to discover the behavior patterns and movements of the whale shark in order to obtain relevant data that allow taking measures for their conservation.
French24 public media video shows presence of Chinese fleet off Galapagos
A video was included in the report showing the fishing transshipment to the cargo ship Yong Xiang 9, a Panamanian flag, which is part of the group . That video was posted on July 22, just a week after the presence of the great fleet was alerted.
The ship, with a large storage capacity, was already filmed in 2018 by the National Navy, the report added. On the Twitter account of that institution, a video was posted on June 6, 2018 with the hashtag #NoAlaPescaIlegal and in which this ship Yong Xiang 9 is observed. The next day, a press bulletin was also posted informing the detection of a fleet of 60 Chinese ships approaching the Galapagos Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEI). The Navy ordered a surveillance operation and assured that “it remains alert to enforce the sovereignty of Ecuador.”
#SOSGalapagos, the hashtag used to demand that the fleet of Chinese ships leave the archipelago
With the label # SOSGalápagos, hundreds of activists and environmental organizations demand, through social networks, that the Government of Ecuador do everything possible to remove the fleet of 260 Chinese fishing boats that is in front of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Ecuador and the Galapagos Marine Reserve (RMG) fishing.
JULY 27
Ecuador called a meeting of South Pacific countriesEcuadorian foreign minister Luis Gallegos said at a press conference that “I will speak with each foreign minister (of Colombia, Panama, Peru and Chile) about the future projections of a common strategy regarding this issue.” Those countries are members of the South Pacific Commission.
The Guardian: “Alarm over discovery of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels near Galápagos Islands“
Fishing and tourist boats are anchored in the bay of San Cristóbal, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Photograph: Adrian Vasquez/AP
JULY 28
Read more about the Carnegie ridge, the underwater mountain range which Ecuador seeks to use to expand its continental shelf
JULY 28
Read more about Subsidies, Distant-Water Fleets and the Galapagos and how it relates to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Government of Ecuador aims to extend the continental shelf in order to avoid fishing fleets
Two Latin American fishery conservation groups have teamed up to fight illegal fishing of squid in the international waters of the southwest Atlantic and the Pacific in a move that could have consequences for the large Chinese fleet in the region. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between CALAMASUR [the Committee for the Sustainable Management of the Jumbo Flying Squid in the South Pacific], which includes industry stakeholders from Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru, and OPRAS, the Organization for the Protection of Resources in the Southwest Atlantic.
The agreement “aims to provide a suitable framework and an explicit form to the cooperation between both organizations to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in all maritime areas…” according to a joint statement from the organizations party to the MoU. “In particular, this cooperation strives to eradicate illegal fishing through the sustainable management of resources beyond the jurisdictional boundaries of coastal states … Due to their migratory condition, these resources along with other species of the ecosystem, are subject to irregular and predatory exploitation by foreign long-distance fishing fleets.”
Government of Ecuador aims to extend the continental shelf in order to avoid fishing fleets
This extension could be carried out since Ecuador signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Convemar), in 2012, until ten years later, but eight years have passed and it has not been carried out either in the government of Rafael Correa or in the government of Lenín Moreno.
Yesterday afternoon, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrín and Foreign Minister Luis Gallegos affirmed that the Government is making progress in this process with the oceanographic investigation and results are expected for December.
The fleet was detected using data collected by Global Fishing Watch, an ocean conservation group that employs satellites and other technological solutions to monitor fishing activity.
Peter Hammarstedt, director of campaigns for the international environmental organization Sea Shepherd, through a statement , stated that the ” presence of fishing vessels between the Galapagos Marine Reserve and the sovereign waters of Ecuador is not technically illegal, but violates the spirit of the marine protected area “, as many of the species, including sharks, are migratory and regularly leave the sanctuary for international waters.
Government announces new strategy to protect Galapagos Islands
The president of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, announced on July 27 the formation of a team of experts to design a protection strategy for the Galapagos Islands. The decision was made after the presence of approximately 260 fishing and supply vessels on the edge of the archipelago’s territorial limit on July 16.
The team will be led by the Chancellor, Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, who has held the position since the beginning of July; Roque Sevilla, ecologist and former mayor of Quito, and Yolanda Kakabadse, former Minister of Environment of Ecuador between 1998 and 2000. The ministers of Defense, Industries and Fisheries, Environment and Water, and the President of the Governing Council of Galapagos, Norman Wray, as well as a representative of the Galapagos community and the artisanal and industrial fishing sector of Ecuador. The names of all the experts who will make up this working group are not yet known.
JULY 31
Chinese fishing fleet ships shut down location systems to enter exclusive economic zonesThe team will be led by the Chancellor, Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, who has held the position since the beginning of July; Roque Sevilla, ecologist and former mayor of Quito, and Yolanda Kakabadse, former Minister of Environment of Ecuador between 1998 and 2000. The ministers of Defense, Industries and Fisheries, Environment and Water, and the President of the Governing Council of Galapagos, Norman Wray, as well as a representative of the Galapagos community and the artisanal and industrial fishing sector of Ecuador. The names of all the experts who will make up this working group are not yet known.
SOS Galápagos | #sosgalapagos 