Only six miles from the exclusive economic zone of Argentina, in FAO Area 44 (Photo: Greenpeace)

Greenpeace confronts South Korean fishing vessel in the South Atlantic

ARGENTINA
Friday, November 15, 2019, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

Greenpeace activists confronted a South Korean fishing vessel in international waters of the South Atlantic, "one of the 400 ships that loot the home of dozens of endangered marine species every year," the environmental organization reports.

According to international organizations such as CCAMLR (Antarctic) and SEAFO, the fishing vessel has a history of illegal fishing activities, recorded years ago.

Photo: Greenpeace

Greenpeace sailed on the Esperanza ship to the Blue Hole, a unique marine ecosystem to stop one of the fishing vessels that perform destructive practices. While the ship was fishing, the activists climbed up to look out on the deck of the ship and displayed the banner: "Overfishing = Environmental Crime". At the end, they painted "Pillagers" on the hull of the ship.

“What we evidence today on the high seas is proof that the oceans need to be protected urgently. The lack of control and regulation of international waters allows fishing companies to plunder and violate the South Atlantic, leaving the ocean on the verge of collapse. That is why from Greenpeace we expose an invisible problem for many; and thus generate all possible public pressure for the governments of the world to agree on a global treaty by the oceans to protect marine life through the creation of a network of sanctuaries, ”said Luisina Vueso, oceans campaign coordinator at Andean Greenpeace.

Each year, more than 400 fishing vessels opeate in he Blue Hole, one of the two high seas regions in the world that has unique oceanographic characteristics. Approximately 500 kilometers from the Gulf of San Jorge in Argentine Patagonia, this place has a continental shelf that extends beyond the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which makes it one of the most coveted regions by fishing companies.

According to a recent Greenpeace report, fishing vessels in this region frequently engage in illegal and deregulated practices; they carry out activities in contravention of national, regional and international laws, such as when they enter the EEZ illegally; they do not report  all their activities or operations and catches on the high seas; They fish with vessels without a flag. In addition, their techniques are devastating, extremely harmful and harmful to the environment.

Photo: Greenpeace

The interest of ships in this region is commercial fishing for hake, Patagonian toothfish and squid. Some ships can measure up to 95 meters in length (almost the size of a soccer field).

“Only 1% of the world's oceans are protected. At the beginning of 2020, governments in the UN have the opportunity to protect at least 30% of the oceans by 2030 from the threat of industries, among them, the fishing industry,” concluded Vueso.

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