Great Wall of Lights: China’s sea power on Darwin’s doorstep
Associated Press
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In this July 2021 photo provided by Sea Shepherd, a Chinese-flagged ship fishes for squid at night on the high seas off the west coast of South America. The number of Chinese-flagged vessels in the south Pacific has surged 10-fold from 54 active vessels in 2009 to 557 in 2020, according to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, or SPRFMO, an inter-governmental group of 15 members charged with ensuring the conservation and sustainable fishing of the species. Meanwhile, the size of its catch has grown from 70,000 tons in 2009 to 358,000. (Isaac Haslam/Sea Shepherd via AP)The Chinese-flagged Zhong Yuan Yu 16 sails at dusk on the high seas near the Galapagos Islands on July 18, 2021. In the summer of 2020, hundreds of Chinese vessels were discovered fishing for squid near the long-isolated Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO world heritage site that inspired 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin and is home to some of the worlds most endangered marine species, from giant tortoises to hammerhead sharks. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)The Chinese-flagged Lu Rong Yuan Yu 609 prepares to fish for squid on the high seas near the Galapagos Islands on July 19, 2021. Fishing takes place almost exclusively at night when each ship turns on hundreds of lights as powerful than anything at a stadium to attract swarms of the fast-flying squid. The concentration of lights is so intense it can be seen from space on satellite images that show the massive fleet shining as brightly as major cities hundreds of miles away on land. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)This July 2021 photo provided by Sea Shepherd shows the view from the bridge of the Ocean Warrior at sunset. Under a United Nations maritime treaty, to which China is a signatory, large ships are required to continuously use whats known as an automated identification system, or AIS, to avoid collisions. Switching it off, except in cases of an imminent threat, for example hiding from pirates, is a major breach that should lead to sanctions for a vessel and its owner under the law of the nation to which it is flagged. (Peter Hammarstedt/Sea Shepherd via AP)Filippo Marini, the third officer aboard the Ocean Warrior, shields his eyes from the light of several Chinese-flagged vessels fishing for squid at night on the high seas off the west coast of South America on July 19, 2021. Marini is an activist for Sea Shepherd, a Netherlands-based oceans conservation group. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)A Chinese-flagged vessel is anchored on the high seas beyond Ecuadors territorial waters near the Galapagos Islands on July 19, 2021. In the summer of 2020, hundreds of Chinese vessels were discovered fishing for squid near the long-isolated Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO world heritage site that inspired 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin and is home to some of the worlds most endangered species, from giant tortoises to hammerhead sharks. (Peter Hammarstedt/Sea Shepherd via AP)Carmen McGregor, second officer of the Ocean Warrior, checks the radar system on July 18, 2021, as part of the ships 18-day voyage to observe up close the activities of the Chinese distant water fishing fleet off the west coast of South America. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)Capt. Peter Hammarstedt, campaign director of Sea Shepherd, addresses the crew of the Ocean Warrior on July 13, 2021, during its 18-day high seas voyage to inspect the Chinese overseas fleet as it fishes for squid off the west coast of South America. Hammarstedt says, Beijing is exporting its overfishing problem to South America. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)In this July 2021 photo provided by Sea Shepherd, the Ocean Warrior, background, circles a Chinese-flagged vessel on the high seas off the west coast of South America. (Isaac Haslam/Sea Shepherd via AP)Members of Sea Shepherd, an ocean conservation group, lower an inflatable dinghy from the deck of the Ocean Warrior off the west coast of South America on July 17, 2021. Activists are seeking restrictions on fishing as part of negotiations underway on a first-ever High Seas Treaty, which could dramatically boost international cooperation on the traditionally lawless waters that comprise nearly half of the planet. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)In this July 2021 photo provided by Sea Shepherd, crew members of the Ocean Warrior approach a Chinese-flagged vessel whose Indonesian crew said they had been stuck at sea for years. (Isaac Haslam/Sea Shepherd via AP)The Ocean Ruby, a giant tanker operated by the affiliate of a company suspected of selling fuel to North Korea in violation of United Nations sanctions, sits anchored in the high seas off the west coast of South America on July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman)
In this July 2021 photo provided by Sea Shepherd, a Chinese-flagged ship fishes for squid at night on the high seas off the west coast of South America. The number of Chinese-flagged vessels in the south Pacific has surged 10-fold from 54 active vessels in 2009 to 557 in 2020, according to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, or SPRFMO, an inter-governmental group of 15 members charged with ensuring the conservation and sustainable fishing of the species. Meanwhile, the size of its catch has grown from 70,000 tons in 2009 to 358,000. (Isaac Haslam/Sea Shepherd via AP)