President Mauricio Macri's Malvinas question policy was “shameful” and the three bills sent to Congress to reaffirm Argentina State Malvinas claim policy, represent a drastic change in the “de-Malvinization process” of the last four years, explained Guillermo Justo Chavez, head of the foreign minister Felipe Solá's cabinet.
A Chinese jigger which was illegally fishing in Argentine waters and escaped from a Coast Guard patrol vessel at the end of April, finally was turned in and is being escorted to Puerto Madryn where it will face charges, according to a release from the Argentine Coast Guard.
The Argentine Navy sighted and arrested early Monday a Chinese jigger which was illegally operating in the country's EEZ. The report says that the ocean patrol vessel ARA Bouchard detected the Hong Pu 16, fishing with its Automatic Identification System turned off, but full lights on to catch squid.
The Argentine Coast Guard was finally unable to arrest a Chinese jigger operating in the country's EEZ, which managed to escape into international waters, the so-called mile 201. According to the force's report, the patrol vessel GC-27 “Prefecto Fique”, early Tuesday detected and pursued the jigger Lu Rond Yuan Yu 668, some 390 kilometers offshore Puerto Madryn.
The Association of Argentine Fishing Industry Chambers has sent an urgent open letter to president Alberto Fernandez complaining about the illegal activity of almost a hundred foreign jiggers in the country's EEZ.
The different chambers of the Argentine fisheries industry have joined efforts to expose alleged plans to grant the Chinese fishing fleet in the South Atlantic, “strategic corridors” in Patagonia ports for support and maintenance of their vessels, reports pescare.com.ar.
Argentina is getting tough on illegal unregulated fishing in the South Atlantic and is planning a joint effort by the Fisheries Under Secretariat, the Armed Forces and security forces. It is estimated according to government sources that Argentina loses some US$ 2.5 billion annually to illegal fishing which so far it has been unable to control. The report was published by Infobae.
A Chinese flagged jigger, “Hua Xiang 801” has fled from the Argentine Coast Guard, ignoring calls to stop engines, and intimidating shots, after it was discovered red-handed operating in Argentine waters early Sunday dawn.
A South Korean flagged trawler allegedly operating in Argentine waters was caught on Thursday red-handed with its nets in the sea and is being escorted to Comodoro Rivadavia.
China's “insatiable appetite” for seafood is straining the limited abilities of South American countries to enforce their maritime boundaries, according to an article in Dialogo, a website run by US Southern Command. Countries on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts have been affected, and most of the illicit fishing activity in those areas is done by Chinese vessels.