There have been a few busy days on the edge of Argentina’s EEZ as a fleet of jigging vessels has continued to spill over the line, culminating in the arrest of a Chinese jigging vessel by the Argentine Navy.
At the weekend a Chinese jigging vessel evaded being intercepted by an Argentinian Coast Guard vessel, and this was followed by the arrest, by the same Coast Guard crew, of Portuguese trawler Calvao found fishing inside the 200-mile limit.
Yesterday the Argentinian Navy joined the action, identifying jigging vessel Hong Pu 16 fishing inside Argentina’s EEZ with its fishing lights on, gear deployed and its AIS switched off.
The crew of Bouchard made repeated attempts via a variety of means to communicate with Hong Pu 16, which made a break for international waters without making any reply, apparently seeking refuge among the fleet of fishing vessels operating beyond the 200-mile limit.
Bouchard took action to pursue the jigger, which stopped after a three-hour chase, when a Naval party was able to board it. The boarding team located 700kg of fresh catch, and estimated 300 tonnes of frozen production in the holds. Hong Pu 16 is being escorted to port in Bahía Blanca.
‘Through co-ordinated manoeuvres between Naval and Coast Guard forces, two foreign vessels that have been brought to justice were captured in the last 24 hours and will be subject to legal procedures for cases of illegal fishing carried out by foreign vessels, aimed at imposing fines and seizures,’ said Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Carlos Liberman.
