A Uruguayan prosecutor closed the case of the Chinese-flagged fishing vessel that the Uruguayan Navy had captured, following a chase, for evading arrest and engaging in alleged illegal fishing activities. The Communications Division of the Attorney General’s Office said July 27 that the case was closed due to lack of evidence of illegal fishing and communication problems as a result of language barriers, Uruguayan newspaper El País reported.
The Ecuadorian government is using Canadian technology to monitor the Chinese fleet’s illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the Galápagos Islands. In early June, the government detected some 180 Chinese vessels near the islands’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), fishing for giant squid and threatening the biodiversity and economy of countries of the region.
Members of the Ecuadorian Navy’s Marine Infantry Battalion and the U.S. Army conducted joint training, April 17-25, in the port of Manta, Manabí province, to respond to natural disasters and emerging crises.