Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/international-news-latin-america-caribbean-united-nations-asia-pacific-5a670a52a5569aa407f39e08cb897e11
Chinese fishing fleets have been recorded by satellite imagery to be fishing near the Galapagos Islands, which had been put under restriction from September to November to “contribute to the protection of fishery resources in the region.” The Chinese vessels have been reportedly dismantling their tracking devices that report to China, and changing the names of their boats so people who see them won’t think to report them if they are out longer than their allotted time. The ships were also leaving pollutants in their wake as they sailed along catching their bait. Some countries from around the world have spoken about how important the preservation of this environment is, due to the archipelago being used for environmental research data. Not only is this an environmental issue, the U.S. has become involved because they believe that China might be trying to perform a border violation. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, told reporters “Everyone wants a diplomatic resolution to this, and we have been working alongside them to help them achieve that.” Pompeo is working to help Ecuador solve their potential border problems. On August 31st, the Ecuador Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard set out on a patrol to the Galapagos and found a “foriegn vessel” sailing about the archipelago. This is not the first time Chinese vessels have been found lurking around the Galapagos, they have been doing this for years, but this current flotilla is the biggest that Ecuador has seen thus far.
This incident could cause multiple lasting impacts for this region such as overfishing, which could result in the elimination of endangered species and cause major negative impacts on the local fishing industry and the local ecotourism industry. Additionally, as the environment of the Galapagos and surrounding area are affected by unsanctioned fishing (and other) vessels, scientific researchers will lose valuable data and the Galapagos will lose much of its natural beauty.
On the international relations front, this violation could negatively impact the relationships between Ecuador, China, and the U.S. According to the agreement between China and Ecuador, Chinese fishing vessels were licensed to fish an allotted amount in the Galapagos area. The vessels are not honoring that agreement and are continuing to fish past their limits, all the while polluting the waters and infringing on Ecuadorian borders. With the U.S. getting involved to help protect Ecuador, the situation escalates as two major world powers go head-to-head over this infringement.