Thread by @AP

The @AP and @Univision spent 18 days on the high seas off South America this summer, observing China’s distant water fishing fleet, the largest in the world. apne.ws/phO2DoD

Since 2009, the number of China-flagged ships in the high seas has surged 10-fold.

U.S. and regional governments fear that the push into the waters off South America could exhaust fish stocks and that illegal fishing will soar without effective controls. apne.ws/KMxbtSZ

The expansion is no accident. China’s distant water fishing fleet was launched in the 1980s as a response to depleting fish stocks at home. But it has become part of China’s geopolitical push to secure access to the world’s dwindling natural resources. apne.ws/GzGmq2B

Officially capped at 3,000 vessels, but possibly larger, lights from the fleet are visible from space. Satellite images show the cluster of ships in the open ocean shining as brightly as major cities hundreds of miles away. apne.ws/VVCb2Lm

The @AP and @Univision surveyed the Chinese fleet aboard a @SeaShepherd boat. The patrol was prompted by last year’s international outcry when hundreds of Chinese ships were discovered fishing near the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO world heritage site. apne.ws/WQUI9dJ

The high seas lie beyond any nation’s jurisdiction and are only loosely regulated for fishing.

“It really is like the Wild West,” said Captain Peter Hammarstedt, director of campaigns for @SeaShepherd. apne.ws/CcKqbb8

Of the 30 vessels observed by @AP and @Univision, 24 have been accused of labor abuses or showed signs of violating maritime law, underscoring how the open ocean around the Americas is a magnet for the seafood industry's worst offenders. apne.ws/qtyxbsp