Interesting post from Reuters: an Ecuadoran judge sentenced 20 Chinese fishermen to 4 years in jail for illegally fishing in a protected Marine Sanctuary in the Galapagos Islands off the west coast of South America. The boat, Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was found with over 6000 dead sharks in its hold. These animals were destined to China to feed the demand for shark fin soup, an expensive culinary item on Chinese restaurant menus. The Chinese government said they have been cracking down on illegal fishing by Chinese flagged ships.
The crew and owners were also fined $5.9 millions for the offenses. The Galapagos Is. are an important cultural landscape owing to its history as the foundational research site for Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution. His ship, HMS Beagle, plied the island waters in 1834, when the scientist visited many of the islands here and recorded data that gave rise to his ground breaking theory decades later.
The Ecuadoran government makes the islands a high priority for close scrutiny and the violators were imprudent to think they could evade discovery by coast guard authorities.
Our Minister of Latin American affairs is currently gathering more facts on the incident and a report will follow.
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