Chilean Navy Sends Attack Sub to Monitor Chinese Fishing Fleet

In the past two weeks, the Chilean Navy has bolstered patrol operations against illegal fishing in the South Pacific region. On December 16, the service took the unusual step of deploying a Scorpene-class attack submarine on a fisheries-enforcement patrol in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. While the region is designated as a marine protected area (MPA), its biodiversity has been threated by industrial fishing, partly due to lack of strict enforcement.

The operation was carried out to verify and control the transit of the foreign fishing fleet in the vast region, which spans 100,000 square miles. During the same week, the Chilean Navy also dispatched its P68 Observer aircraft off the coast of Los Lagos region in Southern Chile.

“No irregularities or illegal actions were detected. This type of overflight allows us to control and ensure that foreign ships are only sailing in transit heading south,” said P68 Second Lieutenant Joaquin Coca, who participated in the operation.

Tercera Zona Naval monitorea flota pesquera extranjera que transita por el Estrecho de Magallanes.

Lee la nota: https://t.co/M3ojaBhjwF#ComprometidosConElMar#ArmadaEnMagallanes pic.twitter.com/WPUZyLOvo8

— Armada de Chile (@Armada_Chile) December 23, 2023

Last week on Friday, the Navy further extended the operation to regions near the Strait of Magellan, using a Dauphin helicopter. In the past decade, the Strait has become a passageway for IUU fishing vessels that sail from the Pacific to the South Atlantic.

The Chilean Navy started implementing heavy ocean surveillance protocols in December 2020, following numerous incidents of IUU fishing along the Pacific Coast of South America. With an EEZ of over one million square nautical miles - the world’s tenth largest - Chile has identified IUU fishing as one of the leading maritime threats within its waters.

According to a 2022 study by the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC), Chile loses approximately $397 million in revenue from IUU fishing. The extensive Chinese distant-water fishing fleet has been blamed for this plunder.