Ecuador jails Chinese fishermen caught with 6,600 endangered, near-extinct sharks

Published time: 30 Aug, 2017 03:49
Edited time: 30 Aug, 2017 13:18

A group of 20 Chinese fisherman has been jailed for between one and three years for illegally fishing endangered species of shark in the protected waters off the Galapagos Islands.

"After the enormous indignation we felt, this will definitely compensate for the damage caused because a historic precedent has been set," Galapagos National Park Director Walter Bustos told AFP.

Their ship, the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, was seized by Ecuadorean authorities earlier in August when they discovered the illegally-obtained cargo of 6,600 sharks, many of which were near-extinct or endangered species reports Reuters.

"China will not side with any form of illegal fishing," foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said of the verdict at a news briefing as cited by Xinhua. She added China will also investigate the incident to punish all violations according to international and Chinese law.

https://www.rt.com/news/401394-ecuador-jails-chinese-fishermen-sharks/