China eyes Colombian waters for illegal fishing as U.S. announces deployment of hospital ship to the region

As fish stocks in the South China Sea continue to wane, China is increasing its illegal fishing activity off the coast of Colombia. Officials observing maritime activity in the waters near Malpelo Island report an increase of foreign-flagged vessels taking advantage of the plentiful fishing in Colombia’s reserved zone.

Nearly 250 foreign ships were spotted in the area during April, and experts believe the problem will only worsen as Colombia’s navy is stretched thin. Many of these fishing vessels originate from China, or are flagged from neighboring countries such as Ecuador that sell their catches to Chinese buyers.

The Colombian government implemented measures in recent years to protect the wildlife living in the reserved zone. Bogota recently tripled the size of the zone, according to a report from InSight Crime. Still, officials from the Colombian government and the Colombian navy both agree more needs to be done to stop the multi-billion dollar illegal fishing operation.