The world-famous protected vibrant ecosystem of the Galapagos may not be protected at all. Nicknamed the Great Wall of China, the Chinese fishing fleet that descended on the Galapagos in 2020 made news around the world, but what is it going to take to actually stop it?

The fleet could be seen from space, spanning almost double the length of the Galapagos archipelago itself. The most frightening thing about the situation was the fact that this is not the first time, nor the only country, that has targeted the outskirts of the Galapagos marine reserve for fishing. The lack of control over the high seas is having an impact that is trickling down to communities such as those of the Galapagos Islands. Their beaches becoming filled with plastic waster from a fleet, not even visible from shore, and the local fish and shark populations that tourism depends on are being targeted. From inside Ecuador’s government, we speak to senior advisor Jeff Leblanc. During this podcast, we cover not only some of the things that occur in our open seas at the hands of industrial fishing vessels but the laws that need to be changed and enforced to end it.

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