By Santiago Arcos

ABOARD ECUADOREAN NAVY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - Ecuador's navy is

conducting surveillance of a large Chinese fishing fleet that is operating near the
protected waters of the Galapagos Islands, amid concerns about the environmental
impact of fishing in the area of the ecologically sensitive islands.
The navy conducted a patrol mission on Friday that included a flyover of the
region where some 260 hulking vessels are fishing, as well as reconnaissance by
military patrol ships.
Images taken as part of the flyover, which included journalists, showed that at
least one of the vessels appeared to be ageing and in need of maintenance.
The fishing fleet has since 2017 been arriving in the summer months and fishing
just outside the Galapagos territorial waters, drawn by marine species such as the
endangered hammerhead shark.
Such fishing is not illegal because it takes place in international waters. But
environmental activists say it allows fleets to take advantage of the abundant
marine species that spill over from the Galapagos and cross into the unprotected
waters.
A Chinese vessel in 2017 was captured in the Galapagos Marine Reserve carrying
300 tons of marine wildlife.
Related: Ecuador prison for Chinese fishers caught in Galapagos

By Santiago Arcos
ABOARD ECUADOREAN NAVY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - Ecuador's navy is
conducting surveillance of a large Chinese fishing fleet that is operating near the
protected waters of the Galapagos Islands, amid concerns about the environmental
impact of fishing in the area of the ecologically sensitive islands.
The navy conducted a patrol mission on Friday that included a flyover of the
region where some 260 hulking vessels are fishing, as well as reconnaissance by
military patrol ships.
Images taken as part of the flyover, which included journalists, showed that at
least one of the vessels appeared to be ageing and in need of maintenance.
The fishing fleet has since 2017 been arriving in the summer months and fishing
just outside the Galapagos territorial waters, drawn by marine species such as the
endangered hammerhead shark.
Such fishing is not illegal because it takes place in international waters. But
environmental activists say it allows fleets to take advantage of the abundant
marine species that spill over from the Galapagos and cross into the unprotected
waters.
A Chinese vessel in 2017 was captured in the Galapagos Marine Reserve carrying
300 tons of marine wildlife.
Related: Ecuador prison for Chinese fishers caught in Galapagos