The South Atlantic is not only being depleted of its fishing resources; its seabed is being transformed into a vast industrial wasteland. A recent scientific expedition by the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) has quantified and photographed an environmental catastrophe that opens a profound debate about the lax legal framework with which the Argentine State defines what happens just beyond its exclusive economic zone.
The oceanographic campaign “Adjacent Area 2026,” conducted aboard the research vessel Víctor Angelescu , yielded results that INIDEP Director Otto Wöhler described as “revealing,” but which, in plain terms, constitute an environmental condemnation. After 23 days of sailing along the outer edge of the 200-mile limit, the scientific evidence is alarming: in 76.2% of the fishing hauls, waste linked to the foreign fleet was found.
Details of the damage: What the sea can no longer hide
The INIDEP survey, which included underwater filming at depths of over 2,200 meters , documented a disturbing reality on the seabed:
According to Revista Puerto , specialist Milko Schvartzman warned about the existence of a "ship graveyard" and waste where accumulated garbage is disrupting the ecological balance that sustains whales, dolphins, elephant seals, and seabirds.
The question: Is it "unregulated fishing" or is it outright illegality?
However, amidst the presentation of this data, a controversial definition emerged from the head of INIDEP. Otto Wöhler told Revista Puerto that it is a "mistake" to call the activity of foreign vessels in the 201st mile "illegal fishing," preferring the term "unregulated fishing." According to the official, as long as they operate outside the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), there is no technical illegality.
This statement raises a dangerous question: Can an activity that produces a documented environmental catastrophe, destroys ancient ecosystems, and appropriates resources originating in Argentine waters be legal?
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