A \"protection strategy\" for the Galapagos Islands has been set up by Ecuador's president after hundreds of fishing vessels - many of them Chinese - were spotted near the archipelago's exclusive economic zone.<\/p>\n
The Ecuadorian Navy has identified around 260 boats and increased patrols to ensure they do not enter the area of the ecologically sensitive islands - the inspiration for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.<\/p>\n
In several tweets over the weekend, Lenin Moreno described the Islands as \"one of the richest fishing areas and a hotbed of life for the entire planet\", and used the hashtag #SOSGalapagos.<\/p>\n
He added that former Mayor of Quito, Roque Sevilla, and ex-environment minister Yolanda Kakabadse, along with \"more specialists\", would be \"responsible for designing the Galapagos protection strategy and respect for its maritime resources\".<\/p>\n
Chinese fishing vessels appear each year near the Galapagos, attracted by marine species such as the hammerhead shark, which is in danger of extinction.<\/p>\n
In 2017, a Chinese vessel was captured in the Galapagos Marine Reserve carrying 300 tons of marine wildlife.<\/p>\n
\"We are on alert, conducting surveillance, patrolling to avoid an incident such as what happened in 2017,\" defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"There is a corridor that is international waters, that's where the fleet is located,\" he said, adding that none had attempted to enter the exclusive economic zone.<\/p>\n
Volunteer pressure group, the Blue Planet Society, has said \"we are watching the destruction of the ocean in real time\".<\/p>\n
Spokesperson John Hourston told Sky News: \"The threat that the industrial Chinese fishing fleet poses to the unique and spectacular marine life of the Galapagos archipelago cannot be overstated.\"<\/p>\n
He also said the vessels were \"sucking the life from this biodiversity jewel\".<\/p>\n
\"Marine life doesn't recognise lines on a map. Unless the high seas are given protection, the ocean is in danger of becoming become a lifeless desert.\"<\/p>\n
The Galapagos Islands are home to a wide variety of marine wildlife, including turtles, giant tortoises, flamingos and albatrosses.<\/p>\n
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Galapagos Islands: 'Protection strategy' set up after 'hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels' spotted nearby - Sky News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A \"protection strategy\" for the Galapagos Islands has been set up by Ecuador's president after hundreds of fishing vessels - many of them Chinese - were spotted near the archipelago's exclusive economic zone. Continue reading