1 . Canada’s new Dark Vessel Detection program is using advanced satellite technology to find illegal fishing ships that attempt to steal fish from waters around the world. Illegal fishing is a major contributor to the decrease of fish and their habitat destruction.
It is said that illegal fishing accounts for about 30 percent of fishing activity worldwide. It means that u to 26 million tons of fish are caught at a cost to the global economy of more than $ 23 billion a year. Illegal fishing occurs both on the high seas and within the 200 mile limits of coastal states. It has an especially negative effect on coastal populations in undeveloped areas.
Now, the government’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in partnership with the Department of National Defense and MDA (Canada’s space technology maker), has started a new program that has already led to fines on five foreign ships. The $7 million Dark Vessel Detection program uses satellite technology to locate and track ships. Some illegal fishing ships have switched off their location transmitting (传输) equipment, in an attempt to avoid surveillance (监视) and control.
The program offers state-of- the-art satellite data to small island nations and coastal states around the world. The local economies of those places are often influenced by illegal fishing. Finding illegal fishing ships from space will allow these small island nations to focus on their investigations and protect their fish.
“Illegal fishing threatens the health of our fish population and takes resources (资源) away from hard- working, legal fishermen,” said Bernadette Jordan, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, “This state -of the art system will help Ecuador and small island nations in the Pacific region deal with illegal fishing. Such illegal activity will do great harm to the Galapagos Islands and the food and economic security of its people,” she added.
1. What is the purpose of Canada’s new Dark Vessel Detection program?| A．To prevent sea pollution. | B．To assess the loss of fish farms. |
| C．To observe endangered fish species. | D．To protect the fish population worldwide. |
| A．The difficulties of undeveloped countries. | B．The slowdown in the global economy. |
| C．The seriousness of illegal fishing. | D．The general result of overfishing. |
| A．By speeding up their ships. | B．By finding remote fishing areas. |
| C．By hiding signals of their ships. | D．By fishing in the middle of the night. |
| A．Island nations tend to suffer food shortages. |
| B．The interests of legal fishermen are threatened. |
| C．The tracking system will be applied to more fields. |
| D．Stricter laws will be made for the fishing industry. |
