Ship: Seahorse
Name: Heidy M. & Laura S.
Date: 25/10/2023
Ship’s Activity: Monitoring
| Hour | Small boats Inside ZTA | ||||
|
Total |
Net Fishing | Divers | Potential Net Fishing | Crossing | |
| 09:00 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10:00 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11:00 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12:00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Hour | Small boats in the ZTA Extension | ||||
|
Total |
Net Fishing | Divers | Potential Net Fishing | Crossing | |
| 07:00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 08:00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Table 1. Small boat counting was done during the 25th of October from 00:00 to 23:00 with radar observations. The hours not represented in this table correspond to hours when no small boats were seen in the ZTA or outside.
| Hour | Small boats in the Buffer Zone | ||||
|
Total |
Net Fishing | Divers | Potential Net Fishing | Crossing | |
| 09:00 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 10:00 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 11:00 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 12:00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13:00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hour | Small boats in the VR | |||
|
Total |
Net Fishing | Divers | Potential Net Fishing | |
| 09:00 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 10:00 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 11:00 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 12:00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13:00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Total number of different small fishing boats fishing today in the ZTA: 2.
Total number of different small fishing boats fishing today in the ZTA Extension: 1.
Total number of different small fishing boats fishing today in the ZTA Buffer Zone: 0.
During the night there wasn’t any activity observed. At 7:00 one small boat was seen fishing in the ZTA Extension. The Navy was contacted but the small boat left an hour later.
Around 9:15 we spotted activity in the east side of the ZTA in the distance. We started heading there and then saw there were at least 3 small boats inside the ZTA and around 6 in the Buffer Zone. The Navy was contacted and we launched the drone and two of them were confirmed net fishing; one of them was the same small boat that was fishing in the Extension an hour before (Emma). At 10:00, five small boats were inside the ZTA. The wind increased fast and we could not launch the drone again to confirm if the other small boats were actively net fishing.
A Navy vessel Interceptor arrived at the fishing area at 11:10 and they went for the small boat Emma; the wind had increased to 20 knots. The Navy tried to catch one of the floats to retrieve the net but the fishermen ended up retrieving it. Around 11:45 the Navy started to pull a net Emma’s net from the other end. Around 11:52 Emma started to leave; probably they cut the net and left the Interceptor to take the rest. A Navy vessel defender arrived at the area at 12:00 just when the Navy on the Interceptor finished retrieving the piece of net; by then most of the small boats in the surroundings had already left. The defender went to check on the last 2 small boats remaining, when they approached they both left heading to San Felipe.
There was no activity observed during the rest of the day due to the poor weather conditions.
Figure 1. Small fishing boat activity in the ZTA today, 25th of October.
Figure 2. Small fishing boat activity in the ZTA Extension today, 25th of October.
Figure 3. Radar screenshot at 11:00.
