Ecuador\u2019s president, Len\u00edn Moreno, told the UN General Assembly in September that the countries of the Permanent Commission to the South Pacific (CPPS) \u2013 Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Colombia \u2013 condemned illegal fishing in the vicinity of their territories and vowed to work together to tackle it. They said they would exchange information in real time to highlight suspected IUU practices and enable rapid responses. And on 4 November, the CPPS issued a statement<\/a> that specified the \u201clarge fleet of foreign-flagged vessels\u201d as cause for concern.<\/p>\n International fleets follow Humboldt squid as they migrate across South America\u2019s vast marine territories, necessitating regional coordination. Yet each country along the route faces unique challenges in monitoring and responding to suspected IUU fishing.<\/p>\n The involvement of China\u2019s distant-water fleet (DWF) in Humboldt squid fishing has grown steadily over the past two decades, according to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.<\/p>\n Some Chinese vessels can be seen in the Pacific all year round, off the Peruvian coast, searching for other species such as mackerel. Half of the squid boats range all the way down to the Atlantic, past Chile and touching Argentina\u2019s maritime limits. This passage is known as the \u201csquid route\u201d.<\/p>\n China is ranked top of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime\u2019s index of IUU fishing. Using the Krakken Unique Vessel Indentifier Database<\/a>, the Overseas Development Institute has identified at least 183<\/a> Chinese vessels suspected of these practices in international waters as of 2018.<\/p>\n In April of that year, Argentine coast guards captured two Chinese boats in Argentine waters, according to Milko Schvartzmann, a marine conservationist who tracks the fleet. One was the Hong Pu 16, which was carrying 300 tonnes of frozen squid and had its satellite tracker disabled at the time of its interception.<\/p>\n Within six months they had begun operating again. Schvartzman said at least 14 vessels from this group have a record of engaging in this kind of illegal activity in national waters.<\/p>\n In 2019, China started to revise its fisheries law<\/a>\u00a0and, once in force, this will include a blacklist of vessels shown to have engaged in IUU fishing. It also announced two closed seasons<\/a> in what are thought to be the main spawning grounds of the Humboldt squid and Argentine shortfin squid.<\/p>\n The global catch of Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas<\/em>) is landed mainly by three countries. Using FAO data<\/a>, Calamasur, a Humboldt squid conservation group, estimates<\/a> that between 2013 and 2014 Peru caught 49%, China 32% and Chile 17%. But in the Peruvian and Chilean EEZs, the species is caught using small-scale fishing gear, such as that used by Jacinto in his 15-tonne-capacity boat. Chinese boats can hold up to 600 tonnes of catch which they can unload onto reefers without having to return to land.<\/p>\n Alfonso Miranda, president of Calamasur, estimates that the Chinese fleet may be illegally fishing 50,000 tonnes of Humboldt squid in Peruvian waters every year. \u201cThis means 50,000 tonnes less for the artisanal fleet and for the frozen food industry, which in economic terms represent US$85 million a year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It is not a matter of banning for the sake of banning. You have to understand very well the dynamics of how they operate<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Following complaints, the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) decided to establish measures on squid fishing in international waters, implemented from 1 January this year. These include catch reports, monitoring, and the inclusion of artisanal vessels in its register. It has also imposed a series of requirements to formalise all vessels that want to enter international waters.<\/p>\n Formalisation has been a challenge for artisanal fishing in Peru, with technical requirements and processes that not all have managed to comply with, such as vessel size, use of geolocation technology and catch registration. However, it is not uncommon for Peruvian fishers to venture outside the EEZ in pursuit of species such as squid, horse mackerel or parrot fish.<\/p>\n \u201cThis means that we have until December 31 to complete the formalisation process so that we don\u2019t fall into the category of illegals,\u201d Miranda complained late last year.<\/p>\n Furthermore, and despite local fishers\u2019 complaints, data crunched by NGOs Oceana and Global Fishing Watch indicate that Peruvian ports provide a useful service to international squid fishing boats. Between January and August 2018, 165 Chinese vessels were reported entering the terminals of Callao and Chimbote.<\/p>\n Last August, Peru demanded that all foreign vessels that want to use its ports comply with a government-authorised satellite-tracking scheme and state the volume of catches. It will not accept vessels with a history of illegal fishing.<\/p>\n Chinese vessels first neared the EEZ buffer around Ecuador\u2019s Galapagos Islands back in 2017, as satellite images from Global Fishing Watch (GFW) show. Although the fleet\u2019s incursions into the EEZ are few, its presence raises concerns for both biodiversity conservation and the fishing industry.<\/p>\n \u201cGFW recently conducted an analysis of the squid fleet and found that from 15 June to 28 July 2020, six vessels operating near the Galapagos EEZ were constantly shutting down their AIS [tracking] system,\u201d says Edaysi Bucio, Global Fishing Watch\u2019s Latin America analysis coordinator, implying that there may have been undetected incursions.<\/p>\n However, there is still not enough information to draw conclusions. \u201cIt is not a matter of banning for the sake of banning. You have to understand very well the dynamics of how they operate, whether they only capture squid or whether they also look for other species,\u201d says C\u00e9sar Pe\u00f1aherrera, scientific director of the MigraMar conservation network.<\/p>\n $1 billion<\/p>\n Ecuadorean fishermen do not currently catch Humboldt squid. However, pota<\/em> \u2013<\/em> as the species is known locally \u2013 is prey for tuna, Ecuador\u2019s biggest fish export, which in 2019 was worth US$1 billion. According to Pe\u00f1aherrera, squid predation could cause tuna to migrate or alter their reproduction patterns.<\/p>\n Sharks are also under threat from IUU fishing. In 2017, Ecuador’s navy stopped a Chinese ship in its waters with 300 tonnes<\/a> of fish, mainly shark. In 2020, the South China Morning Post reported<\/a> the largest seizure of shark fins in Hong Kong\u2019s history, as 26 tonnes arrived from Ecuador, equivalent to 38,500 sharks.<\/p>\n Local fishers are not blameless either. Last year, an Ecuadorean-flagged oil tanker, Maria del Carmen IV, was identified by military authorities providing fuel to Chinese ships at sea.<\/p>\n Conservation groups in Ecuador have responded to such events by gathering scientific evidence on the distribution of fish populations in the country\u2019s waters. According to Pe\u00f1aherrera, they have an eye on negotiations over the UN\u2019s convention on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), which seeks to create an international legal instrument.<\/p>\n Ecuador also recently joined the Global Ocean Alliance, a commitment promoted by the UK government to protect 30% of the global ocean by 2030, which to date has 30 member countries.<\/p>\n According to Global Fishing Watch, foreign fleets have been following the trail of the Humboldt squid to Chile, where in December the navy was reported to be\u00a0closely watching<\/a> the Chinese fleet. In recent years, squid has provided an economic lifeline to Chilean fishers by replacing collapsed stocks of common hake. The jibia<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 its local name \u2013 is found in the waters of northern Chile.<\/p>\n According to a recent report<\/a> by the Chilean Undersecretary of Fisheries, 70% of Chile\u2019s fish stocks have collapsed or are overexploited. \u201cWhen we talk about a state of collapse we are talking about a very vulnerable state, where fishing of a resource could cause it to disappear,\u201d warns Valesca Montes, coordinator of sustainable fisheries for WWF Chile.<\/p>\nDistant-water squid fishing in Latin America<\/h2>\n
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\nSource: Global Fishing Watch<\/a>
\n<\/div>\nPeru: Against the clock<\/h2>\n
Ecuador seeks balance<\/h2>\n
![\"humboldt](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/humboldt-squid-Baja-California-1.jpg\")
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