Historic: Milei's government managed to eliminate illegal fishing in the Argentine Sea

In recent months, the Government of Javier Milei has managed to completely eradicate illegal fishing in the Argentine Sea, turning the Argentine Republic into an international benchmark in the application of cutting-edge technology for the detecting and controlling illegal activities within its maritime jurisdiction. This way, it positions itself as the country with the greatest progress in this field over the past year.

According to the report from the Strategic Observatory of Maritime Resources of the Latin American Foundation for Fisheries Sustainability, so far in 2025, the country has managed to identify and monitor 301 fishing vessels near mile 201, one of the most sensitive areas of the South Atlantic.

The modernization of the Coast Guard System included the incorporation of satellite technology capable of capturing images through synthetic aperture radar, which has significantly increased the effectiveness of maritime surveillance.

This system integrates data from multiple sources: vessel positioning, crew records, and third-party services, all supported by electronic nautical charts as the main reference.

Thanks to this comprehensive improvement, the precise detection of vessels increased by more than 65%, identification errors were minimized, and image analysis times were reduced from 45 to just 10 minutes, without generating extra costs for the entity.

As a result, the year 2025 is marking a turning point in maritime surveillance tasks, since for the first time in history, effective control has been exercised over the entire length of mile 200.

A historic achievement of Milei's Government

In this context, the report prepared by OERM - FULASP highlights that the operations "Mare Nostrum I, II, and III," carried out between February and April of this year, not only served to detect fishing vessels with illegal behavior, but also marked a historic milestone: the application of the first electronic fine to a foreign vessel, the "Xin Run 579".

With this action, Argentina positions itself as a leader in the use of digital tools to sanction violations in the fishing sector.

"This measure marks a turning point in the application of penalties against illegal fishing. It's a direct message to those who intend to plunder our waters," stated Raúl Cereseto, president of FULASP and one of the key figures in the aerial patrol operations.

The report also highlights that the naval control force has incorporated new real-time surveillance systems, relying on new aircraft purchased by Milei's administration, such as the P-3C Orion and modern surface units, which facilitated the identification of illegal activities and the coordination of joint actions with the Armed Forces to stop them.

In this regard, Cereseto indicated that "the coordinated work concluded that 82.7% of the vessels present in the area are Chinese-flagged, showing the magnitude of the threat posed by the Asian foreign fleet in the region".

He added: "Thanks to the strengthening of operational and technological resources implemented in recent months, today Argentina is in a position to send a clear message to the world against the plundering of national resources".

Finally, the OERM - FULASP report notes that, if the current pace of technological modernization is maintained, Argentina could rank among the three most effective countries in the global fight against illegal fishing and lead this cause in Latin America in the coming years.