Ecuador's navy ready to combat illegal fishing around the Galapagos Islands

By Santiago Arcos

ABOARD THE HUALCOPO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's navy is ready to protect the seas around the Galapagos Islands from illegal fishing by foreign ships whose annual visits threaten marine wildlife in the archipelago's waters, following training exercises with neighboring allies.

Training operations around the Galapagos, which sit among a mega-diverse marine reserve, began in 2018 after authorities captured a ship in the protected area the year before.

The ship, then known as the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, was flying the Chinese flag and was carrying 300 tonnes of fish when it was captured.

"The problem is that the number of foreign fishing vessels reaches a point where they begin to plunder ecosystems," said frigate captain Guillermo Miranda, commander of the captured ship, which was renamed the Hualcopo after legal proceeds saw it permanently handed over to Ecuador in 2020.

"When they fish, they affect really migratory species, which in many cases are part of the Galapagos marine ecosystem," Miranda said. "It's a pretty serious problem, not just for Ecuador."

Six Ecuadorean ships took part in training exercises from June 23 to July 9, alongside vessels of the U.S., Peruvian and Colombian navies, where they simulated operations to intercept and board fishing boats.

Each year a large fishing fleet, mostly flying the Chinese flag, sails close to the Galapagos, which inspired British scientist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in the 19th century.

Ecuador's government says the boats turn off their radars to avoid their fishing activities being monitored.

China says its fishing vessels comply with the rules for international waters, adding the operating characteristics of squid fishing vessels do not permit the bycatch of sharks or other protected marine species.

(Reporting by Santiago Arcos; Writing by Alexandra Valencia and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Chris Reese)