Chinese vessels fishing for squid in the South Pacific refuse to be screened

Frozen Squid

Seafood

China

Published Feb 14, 2023

Tridge summary

The issue was raised at a committee meeting which is taking place in Manta, Ecuador, where CALAMASUR participates as an observer. This comes after two Chinese vessels fishing in the area refused to be inspected, the conservation group said. Alfonso Miranda Eizaguirre, President of CALAMASUR, stated that all vessels fishing in the Commission Area, without exception, have an obligation to enforce management measures, in particular through inspections at sea.

Original content

He stressed that flag states should avoid any doubt about their involvement in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. All parties "without excuse or delay" must ensure "effective implementation of all existing resolutions, especially those relating to the control and supervision of fisheries," he said. Miranda previously told Undercurrent that 631 Chinese vessels are "irregularly catching" giant squid in the South Pacific "to the detriment of Peru, Ecuador and Chile." At the meeting, the Latin American parties expressed the view that China's possible violation of its obligations as a flag state should force the RFMO to propose an improvement plan specifically aimed at solving this problem. However, Chinese representatives objected to the proposal even being considered, as the country refuses to be considered "non-compliant". Miranda has said in the past that Chinese fishing vessels only complete about 1% of fishing trips with a scientific observer on board, ...

Source: Fishretail