China temporarily banned fishermen to catch ink in many fishing grounds in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, after being criticized because of excessive exploitation.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Agriculture on June 28, these fleets will stop working in major breeding areas of the southwestern Ink species, near Argentina, from July 1 to 30

The area banned is the breeding place of Argentina short squid and Humboldt ink, two of the most common varieties.

The Ecuador naval patrol and high-speed boat approached a Chinese fishing vessel near the territorial waters of the Galapagos Islands in August 2020.

China is the world's largest ink consumer.

China's offshore fishing fleet consists of more than 2,600 vessels, more than 10 times more than the US and nearly one-third of them catch ink.

The ban on ink catching even though China's temporary is also extremely important for the sustainability of the ocean, due to the extremely large catch, Zhang Jihong, ocean biologist at the Aquaculture Research Institute

The decision was released by China after intense criticisms from the international community with the country's overseas fleet, that they are catching excessively and damaging fragile marine ecosystems.

Last year, hundreds of Chinese fishing boats appeared around Ecuador offshore protected areas and the country's Galapagos Islands.