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- China on the move...
This time, six of the vessels have apparently been faking their true location - sending out falsified signals which puts them between the Chatham Islands and New Zealand, about 10,000km away.
Five of the six reportedly have permission to look for squid, and it's unclear why they're pretending to be in New Zealand, a spokesperson for fishing watchdog Skytruth told Stuff. The signals disappeared on Tuesday night.
Skytruth said satellite imagery shows no Chinese-flagged vessels in New Zealand waters, but the Ministry for Primary Industries told Stuff it had no reason to believe the vessels were faking their locations.
Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Foreign Minister Winston Peters reportedly didn't respond to enquiries.
China said last week it was operating legally and denied claims its crews were abusing the environment.
"The Galapagos Islands are an important natural reserve of Ecuador and a precious natural and cultural heritage for all mankind. China understands, respects and supports Ecuador's measures to protect the marine environment and resources.
"We have found that all Chinese fishing boats are operating in the high seas outside the exclusive economic zone of the Galapagos Islands in a normal and lawful manner."
Flora and fauna on the Galapagos Islands were key in helping biologist Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution.
