MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Canada will help the Philippines detect illegal fishing with its satellite monitoring system under a new deal, Philippine officials said Monday.
The agreement gives the Philippines’ National Coast Watch Center access to data from Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection System, which uses satellite technology to track illegal fishermen even if they turn off their location transmitting devices, the Foreign Ministry in Manila said.
Illegal and unregulated fishing is a problem throughout the Philippine archipelago, including in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard has accused Chinese coast guard ships and fishing vessels of turning off their location transmitters to avoid detection and surveillance.
Canadian and Philippine officials signed the agreement last week on the sidelines of talks in the Canadian capital Ottawa to discuss ways to strengthen ties between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said, without providing further details.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea for historical reasons, but this was invalidated by a 2016 arbitration ruling. China refused to participate in the arbitration sought by the Philippines, rejected the ruling as a sham and continues to oppose it.
In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, which lies on one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
Canada is among several Western countries that have recognized the 2016 arbitration ruling and urged countries including China to respect it.
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