The Southwest Atlantic is one of the top five destinations for China's distant-water squid fleet.

Specialist Denounces Pattern of Illegal Activity in the South Atlantic

WORLDWIDE
Friday, December 12, 2025, 08:00 (GMT + 9)

Milko Schvartzman Identifies Alleged Link Between Subsidies, Labor Abuses, and China's Fishing Fleets

Marine conservation specialist and IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing analyst, Milko Schvartzman, has released a new analysis pointing to a pattern of suspicious activity in the South Atlantic involving Chinese flagged fishing vessels.

Schvartzman described detecting a dozen vessels on the monitoring map crossing the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean at high speeds, resembling a "dragon’s fiery tongue." Behind this striking image, according to the analyst, lies the problem of the lack of enforcement of international law.

The specialist highlights that the 10,000-mile journey to fishing grounds in another hemisphere is only feasible due to what he calls the "three harmful fishing subsidies":

• Fuel and economic costs covered by the flag state.

• Forced labor on board, often amounting to modern slavery.

• Non-compliance with environmental or maritime safety regulations.

Schvartzman emphasizes that subsidies supporting IUU fishing are already prohibited under the WTO (World Trade Organization) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

The "dragon's tongue of fire" described by Milko Schvartzman

The analysis points to a series of "coincidences" centered on the fleet operated by Qingdao Ocean Fishery Co. Ltd.:

1. Regulatory Vacuum and Subsidies: The analysis is published just days after an article, dated December 9, 2025, highlighted the lack of a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) or regulatory body in the South Atlantic, using the vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205 as an example.

2. Illegal Incursions: The vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205 has been the subject of investigation by Schvartzman for years. It is credited with mapping the Argentine continental shelf and was detected during a presumed illegal fishing incursion into the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in 2016.

   

   Lu Qing Yuan Yu 205 

3. Labor Abuses and Deaths: The sister ship, Lu Qing Yuan Yu 206, also operating in the South Atlantic, has landed three deceased crew members in the port of Montevideo, Uruguay, between 2017 and 2021. In one case, two Filipino crew members denounced inhumane conditions and abuses. The analyst also noted multiple instances where bodies were transshipped (e.g., to the Panamanian-flagged Bao Reefer reefer vessel) to avoid scrutiny.

4. Capture of Protected Marine Wildlife: Another vessel from the same fleet, the Lu Qing Yuan Yu 212, was filmed capturing and killing protected marine wildlife in the region.

Capture of Protected Marine Wildlife: Another vessel from the same fleet, the Lu Qing Yuan Yu 212, was filmed capturing and killing protected marine wildlife in the region.

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