Ecuador jails Chinese fishermen found with 6,000 sharks

[snoop1130]

Ecuador jails Chinese fishermen found with 6,000 sharks

 

 

QUITO (Reuters) - An Ecuadorean judge has jailed 20 Chinese fishermen for up to four years for illegally fishing off the Galapagos Islands, where they were caught with 6,600 sharks.

 

The Chinese-flagged ship Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was apprehended in mid-August with some 300 tonnes of near-extinct or endangered species, including hammerhead sharks.

 

The crew received jail time of between one and four years, the judge said late on Sunday. They were also fined a total of $5.9 million.

 

Ecuador's foreign ministry said it had sent a formal protest to China over the presence of ships near the Galapagos, which inspired British naturalist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

 

It reported earlier this month that China's ambassador in Quito, Wang Yulin, said his country wanted to take all measures necessary to "put an end to these illicit practices."

 

The islands are about 1,000 km (620 miles) west of Ecuador's Pacific coast.

 

The Environment Ministry said the Chinese vessel was fishing in the Galapagos' marine reserve.

 

The boat will be taken over by Ecuador and the dead animals thrown out to sea, the government said on Monday.

 

Shark fin is a status symbol for many Chinese, prized as nourishment and consumed in a shredded jelly-like soup. Restaurants across China serve it at traditional banquets, despite a 2014 crackdown by President Xi Jinping on extravagance and a ban on serving the delicacy at official functions.

 

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday China opposed any form of illegal fishing, and was paying great attention to the case.

 

However, she said there was no evidence the ship was fishing in Ecuadorian waters but that the ship had transited through the Galapagos protected zone without permission as it did not understand Ecuadorian rules.

 

China hopes Ecuador can fairly handle the case and protect the legitimate rights of the Chinese nationals, Hua added.

 

Centenarian tortoises and blue-footed boobies inhabit the Galapagos alongside some 18,000 islanders who earn a living from fishing and the tourism industry.

 

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by W Simon and Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-8-29

[Moonmoon]

I am 5th generation SG chinese, take it from me. 

Sharks Fins are tasteless goo without pepper and vinegar. 

There is absolutely no need to eat them. 

 

Status my bum bum 

[ChrisY1]

The Chinese are raping the seas....for fxxxxxg shark fins! A shame on China!

[stevenl]

I hope Ecuador sticks to its guns and does not give in. That may set an example to other countries to go after these practices hard.

[DiamondKing]

having had the PLEASURE of visiting the Galapagos 3 TIMES and Scuba Diving there, it has to be the top dive destination in the world, a LITERAL Disneyland for Divers.

Tens of thousands of sharks encountered, Dolphins, Mobula Rays, Turtles, Manta Rays, Millions of fish its truly a sight to behold.

Because of its remoteness though these poachers can  get away with what they are doing hopefully Equador will keep the pressure on and protect this true wonder of the world.

[coconuthead]

should've chopped their chinese fins off

[Pdaz]

It's not just sharks. The shear numbers of newly wealthy mainland Chinese will denude the entire World of it's shellfish, rare species and exotic wildlife. All destined for their greedy gullets. Not to mention the damage the traditional medicine and ivory trades do. They are more interested in showing off their wealth or curing their flaccid members than preserving the planets ecosystems.

[Pdaz]

Sinking their boats with the crews still aboard would solve the problem. 

[saakura]

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

I hope Ecuador sticks to its guns and does not give in. That may set an example to other countries to go after these practices hard.

Sadly i dont think that will happen. The Chinese govt will use their muscle and financial power against a small country.

[phantomfiddler]

But don,t all the world,s oceans belong to the chinese ? 

[boomerangutang]

                        There must not have been any Chinese military boats near enough to scare off the Ecuadorian authorities.

 

                     I say keep the fishermen in jail.  1 year each for the underlings, and 8 years for the bosses. Sink the boats for use as reef-building.

[rosst]

Jail? 

String em up by the goolies mongrels 

[thaibeachlovers]

However, she said there was no evidence the ship was fishing in Ecuadorian waters but that the ship had transited through the Galapagos protected zone without permission as it did not understand Ecuadorian rules.

 

So, as long as the ships raping the seas don't get caught, it's OK.

Humanity is, IMO, doomed if this sort of thing continues. Perhaps we deserve it for allowing such to continue.

[Caps]

Its good to see the Chinese are still thinking they can do what they like anywhere in the world.  Well done the Ecuadorians.

[spidermike007]

Throw them in prison, weld the doors shut, and throw away the keys and the welder. They deserve that. Raping the seas for profit is about as heinous as it gets. And the Chinese do not care one iota, as long as they can impress each other with their super expensive soups, and 1982 Lafite Rothschild wine. Expect only protests from the Chinese government. Ecuador needs to stand their ground. Look, you guys really blew it. You got caught red handed, plundering nearly extinct species from the seas. This current group of fisherman, and all future groups will be locked up for life, if caught. Sorry, just the way it is. Complain all you want, big boys. You committed a crime against humanity. 

[boomerangutang]

I saw a photo showing part of the haul.  Most were hammerheads.  They hack off the sides of their faces.  Yuk.   Seas are dying ww.  concurrently, they're getting trashed with plastic.  In the Great Pacific Trash vortex (look it up) there's a 2 meter thick layer of plastic ooze covering an area larger than Texas.  Most of that plastic gunk comes from China.