'It's terrifying': can anyone stop China's vast armada of fishing boats?

Ecuador stood up for the Galapagos, but other countries don't stand a chance against the 17,000-strong distant-water fleet

The recent discovery by the Ecuadorean navy of a vast fishing armada of 340 Chinese vessels just off the biodiverse Galapagos Islands stirred outrage both in Ecuador and overseas.

Under pressure after Ecuador's strident response, China has given mixed signals that it could begin to reel in its vast international fishing fleet. Its embassy in Ecuador declared a zero tolerance" policy towards illegal fishing, and this week it announced it was tightening the rules for its enormous flotilla with a series of new regulations.