The Argentine Armed Forces have launched Operation Griffon XVII in South Atlantic waters to strengthen their fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, while hundreds of fishing vessels, mainly Chinese-flagged, are preying on fish in the region, Argentine news site Infobae reported.
“Considering the activities of Chinese expansion in the world, it is important for the military’s naval assets to control maritime jurisdictions in the defense of sovereignty,” the Argentine defense and international relations expert said. Luis Somoza. Dialogue on February 14.
Griffon XVII is under the authority of the Joint Maritime Command (COCM), which through the Argentine Navy, in collaboration with the Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA), monitors maritime traffic in the southern Atlantic.
From the Mar del Plata Naval Base, the ocean patrol boat Rear Admiral Cordero launched the Argentine government’s new strategy on January 15 to control a serious ongoing problem: IUU fishing at mile 200, the limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ), Argentine newspaper The country reported.
Defense Minister Luis Petri told the press on the day of the start of the Griffon XVII that there are between 450 and 500 naval vessels, mostly Chinese, coming from the Pacific, passing through the Strait of Magellan and positioned in mile 201, just outside the EEZ .
“So far, there are 344 that we’ve identified perfectly,” Somoza said. “IUU fishing causes the greatest losses to local economies, especially in Latin America, in addition to great environmental damage as a result of the destruction of marine natural resources.”
According to InfobaeArgentine authorities decided to focus their efforts on the squid season from December to March, targeting the main product sought by Chinese companies.
Chinese boats operating in Latin America are mostly fishing trawlers, which specialize in squid fishing and deliberately disable their Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices, a practice often used to avoid detection in areas where IUU fishing takes place.
“The Chinese Communist Party holds shares in most of the fishing companies, aiding this movement,” Somoza said. “Illegal fishing activity is one of the main problems in the seas of South America, especially in the waters of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay, because vessels relentlessly fish more on what is authorized and unlicensed.”
Argentina has a maritime coastline of nearly 5,000 kilometers and a wide continental shelf. The COCM, which was created on February 23, 2021, under the Operational Command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, plays an important role in the implementation of sovereign rights and to ensure the protection of natural resources in the Sea of Argentina.
The Navy’s resources will be deployed mainly along the 44th parallel, located above the Argentine province of Chubut, where the largest amount of squid fishing is concentrated.
“Aerial control must be done, satellite control must be done,” Minister Petri said. “But we also need to change the entire legal system, especially the one that applies to administrative penalties when incursions occur in our EEZ.”
“The region must organize itself to demand actions from the Chinese authorities, to stop the illegal activities of their vessels in Latin American waters,” Somoza added. “In addition, it should increase fines and penalties against companies that operate illegally.”
The Argentine government is seeking Congressional approval for the visit of the US Coast Guard Cutter JAMES to Argentina in April 2024. If approved, the PNA and the US Coast Guard cutter USCG James will conduct joint exercises for the defense of South Atlantic fishing resources, Argentine news site World Stage reported.
The US Coast Guard is present in operations against IUU fishing from the Chinese fishing fleet in Peru, Chile, and Ecuador, within the framework of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, an intergovernmental entity with 14 member countries, which aims to ensure sustainable fishing in the ocean sector.
“The navies must increase surveillance and control operations with dissuasive measures to counter Chinese advances in the seas,” Somoza said.
With a population of over 1,380 million, China is the world’s largest consumer of seafood. Its global catches have grown by more than 20 percent in the past five years, AgustÃn Barletti, author of the book The Hunger of the Dragon. China plans to swallow the Worldsaid the Argentine daily The Tribune.
According to the Washington, DC-based think tank, the Stimson Center, China and its state-owned enterprises have the largest deep-water fishing fleet by far, with nearly 3,000 vessels. That fleet is three times larger than the combined fleets of Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Spain, The Tribune reported. It is estimated that Chinese fishing vessels have taken about 70 percent of the squid caught at sea in recent years.
“There must be coordination between different countries that increase efforts and capabilities and exchange information against illegal fishing,” concluded Somoza. “China is occupying the sovereignty of Latin America in a clear imperialist attitude, in a world where it is considered that 93 percent of fishing reserves are already exploited to the limit.”
