Source: Ecuador En Vivo
Tuna purse seiner North Queen owned by Shell Fish, Manta
The tuna purse seiner North Queen registered in Manta, Manabi, was seized Friday evening by the rangers of the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPS), 20 miles from Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, according to the news agency Andes. The tuna seiner, owned by the company Shell Fish of Manta, has a length of 36 meters with a carrying capacity of 230 tons.
During the hearing conducted yesterday by authorities, the crew of the vessel was charged with violating the rights of nature by fishing in the protected waters of the Galapagos Islands.
Previously, the Satellite Monitoring Center of the GNP on Santa Cruz Island had detected suspicious movements of the fishing boat, after reporting innocent passage in the Marine Reserve.
However, the speed boat Sea Ranger 11 discovered that the tuna vessel had deviated from its announced route and therefore proceeded with the arrest.
When inspecting the tuna seiner’s hold, the rangers saw it contained some sharks, so it ordered the vessel to head towards Puerto Ayora. Yesterday morning the North Queen’s catch was rechecked and authorities found several species, among others 41 sharks as well as approximately 185 tons of tuna.
The ship and its 21 crewmembers were turned over to the appropriate authorities. Moreover, the GNP initiated administrative proceedings against the detainees.
