The practice of Chinese fishing boats operating illegally has been ongoing for years. Here, several Chinese boats that were caught while reportedly operating illegally in South Korea's exclusive zone are moored at a port in Incheon, South Korea, in 2016. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA
SANTIAGO, Chile, July 1 (UPI) -- Concerns grow over a fleet of nearly 400 Chinese fishing vessels remains off Peru's southern coast and continues to move north through the Pacific Ocean along a route that has historically brought it close to Ecuador's Galápagos Islands.
A monitoring report by Argentine researcher Milko Schvartzman, who specializes in illegal fishing, identified 342 Chinese fishing vessels operating last weekend off southern Peru.
They were accompanied by between 20 and 25 support ships that provide offshore logistics and allow the fleet to remain at sea for extended periods, allegedly engaging in unauthorized and unreported fishing.
"The risk to marine conservation, migratory species and marine ecosystems is extremely high," Schvartzman told Argentine news outlet Infobae on Tuesday.
