South American Countries Join Forces to Combat Chinese Fishing Fleets

Chile's Commander Rodrigo Lepe, Chief of the fishing department of the maritime territory, shows a ship as a part of a large fleet of Chinese fishing vessels, who Chilean government is keeping tabs, while fishing along the Pacific Coast of South America, in Valparaiso, Chile Oct. 8, 2020. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

Four South American countries have joined forces to tackle illegal fishing by vast Chinese fleets off their coasts.

Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru on Nov. 3 signed a declaration to “take measures to prevent, discourage, and jointly confront” illegal fishing near their exclusive economic zones (around 200 nautical miles from the shore) in the Pacific Ocean, according to a statement by Peru’s foreign ministry.