The Navy is launching a new campaign against illegal fishing in the Argentine sea, perpetrated mainly by Chinese-flagged vessels.

Defense Minister Luis Petri oversaw yesterday the departure of ship "Rear Admiral Cordero".

It departed from the Mar del Plata Naval Base and will patrol territorial waters, which reach up to 200 miles from the coast.

Speaking before the crew, Petri remarked the intention of "guaranteeing that no foreign flag ship compromises our natural resources".

And he explained: "we are very clear that there are between 450 and 500 ships that come from the Pacific, pass through the Strait of Magellan and are positioned at mile 201".

According to what he explained to the Infobae news website, his portfolio seeks to redouble controls during the summer, during the squid season, the most sought-after product by Chinese fishing companies.

For this reason, Defense will allocate more resources to monitor the maritime area off the 44th parallel, in front of the province of Chubut.