US officials are looking for every opportunity to find fault with Chinese behavior, and today that is taking the form of international fishing. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called it “deeply troubling” that about 300 Chinese fishing ships are near the Galapagos islands.
The implications of US comments are that the Chinese are engaged in illegal fishing, with Pompeo citing recent Chinese promises to crack down on that sort of fishing and demanding more transparency.
That all fits in the State Department’s narrative criticizing them, but China’s Ambassador Chen Guoyou says that the ships in question are meeting international law, and none are being accused of illegal activities.
Indeed, the ships aren’t really within the Galapagos’ waters either, but just outside of it in international waters. The ships are fishing for squid, and there haven’t been any reports of violations, beyond some ships temporarily losing satellite signals for tracking.
Complaints about Chinese fishing mostly center on the sheer size and efficiency of their fleets, as they’ve got many thousands of available ships and catch vast amounts of fish. China has promised to strictly ensure that the ships are complying with international law, however.
Troubling?
But not to be troubled that US fishermen have overfished our off shoremigratory salmonoids, Alaskan herring anchovie smelt and blame seals for eating tens of millions of non existing fish, damn near exterminated our Columbia Sturgeon fishery. Spend hundreds of billions yearly to restock our overfished lakes and streams, and find but damn few bodies of water containing fish that a pregnant woman can safely eat.
To allow oil, coal, mineral mining’ municipal sewer tratment and unsafe drinking waters to pollute all our waterways causing levels of long lasting pollutants that are carcinogenic is of no concern!
As to Chinese why no concern of Japanese whalers and eaters of dolphins who are partnered up with US firms and can legally fish within US sea limits is of no concern.
Hundreds of millions of dead fish, dead and starving seals and whales washing ashore and our sea birds starving by the millions; disappearance of pacific starfish, oysters that cannot spawn in US bays and larvae now imported. From Hawaii and over 80% of shrimp now raised in overseas fish arms that lack health safeguards.
Rivers lakes and stream numbers that increase yearl as does period of time hthat are unsafe for man or pets to swim in..Animal herds, deer, elk cattle sheep and goats being infected due to brain. And hoof rots, parasite infected eggs and meats and massive salmo ella recalls of veggies. Meats and fruits; speaking of foods now chickens with cancerous growths can be sold as food, just cut out tumors first.
Lots to be not concerned about because they are not as important as our political, scientific- educational and military- industrialist concern for profits.
Well said.
Chinese overfishing near Galapagos is not a good thing at all. Change the laws. They are certainly not known to be conservationists. They target giant squid, not normal squid, and hammerhead sharks.