The electronic surveillance system used by the Argentinian Coast Guard to monitor the activities of fishing vessels has identified a Portuguese trawler as operating illegally – and a Coast Guard vessel has been dispatched to follow this up.
Analysis of the movements of Portuguese trawler Calvao over a number of days indicate that it had been operating at speeds and in a pattern consistent with fishing activity while inside the Argentinian 200-mile zone.
According to a Coast Guard statement, Calvao’s operating speed was consistently below six knots while there were no extreme weather conditions at the time that would explain its needing to seek shelter, while there has been no communication from Calvao to coast stations or the Argentine Maritime Authority, which has notified the flag state of the vessel’s failure to report in.
As a result, the trawler is assumed to be operating illegally, and Coast Guard cutter Azopardo de la Fuerza has been dispatched to investigate.
This isn’t the first time that Calvao has pushed inside the Argentinian 200-mile limit. In 2020, the trawler was intercepted inside the EEZ with its gear in the water refused to comply with a request to board as it headed for international waters. On that occasion, Calvao was tracked, boarded and escorted to Bahía Blanca to face charges of fishing illegally and failure to comply with a boarding request.