The impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing are visible and far-reaching in Latin America. It damages marine ecosystems and livelihoods and encourages other crimes.
“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is the biggest problem affecting South American seas,” said Milko Schvartzman, an Argentine marine conservation expert and member of the nongovernmental organization “Círculo de Políticas Ambientales.”
In a report, the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) at American University, Washington, D.C., points out that the environmental impact of IUU fishing is devastating because of overfishing, declining fish stocks, collapsing fisheries, fishing in ever-deeper waters and illegal practices that nearly wipe out protected species, among other factors.
In South America, the Chinese fishing fleet mainly catches shortfin squid and giant squid.
The Chinese fleet catches them out of season (without regard to size or breeding season) and does not comply with current regulations, Schvartzman said.
The catch of these mollusks seriously impacts the ecosystem, as they play an important role in marine ecosystems as both predator and prey.
“In addition, this fleet disposes of tons of trash, oils, toxins, plastics, and obsolete fishing parts every day,” Schvartzman said.
“There are about 300 Chinese vessels fishing squid in the Pacific and more than 400 in the Atlantic.”
DIRECT CONSEQUENCES
Direct economic impacts of IUU fishing include food insecurity for artisanal fishers and fishing communities, lost income for legal fishers, and government tax revenue.
After Asia and Africa, South America suffers the greatest losses from IUU fishing, according to the CLALS report.
“The [Chinese] fleet, which is subsidized by their country, employs slave labor,” Schvartzman said.
“They don’t pay living wages; they don’t maintain navigation, labor, or environmental safety standards. There’s unfair competition with local fishermen who pay taxes and comply with environmental and safety standards.”
MONEY LAUNDERING
Peter A. Murray, advisor to the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat, which promotes sustainable fisheries in the region, said fishing had become a vehicle for laundering drug money.
One of the problems, Murray said, is that IUU fishing is often treated as a regulatory problem rather than “transnational organized crime. Countries’ efforts often go unnoticed.”
PART OF THE SOLUTION
According to the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, the Chinese fleet moved about 300 miles from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador in June.
The Ecuadorian Navy stated that the situation was under control and that it was constantly monitoring this fishing fleet, which included about 175 vessels at that time, according to the naval institution.
“The depredations caused by this fleet are not changing significantly,” Schvartzman affirmed.
“It’s the same number of ships in the same region […], it’s just moved a little bit away, and that has more to do with geopolitics than anything else. Ecuador’s diplomacy has managed to get the Chinese fleet to move a few miles offshore, and that’s important.”
Experts believe there are ways to counter the criminals, such as strengthening the capacity of security forces to stop countries with bad practices and creating programs for fishermen who can no longer earn a living at sea.
“There is still a lot to do, but progress is being made because the public is aware of the problem.
“Society knows it’s a serious problem, that there are countries that work with these fleets, that there are ports that cater to them, and that they know their movements. Transparency is part of the solution,” Schvartzman concluded.
With information from Latina Press
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