As of: 03/26/2023 3:04 p.m
Millionaire Enrique Piñeyro uses his fortune to draw attention to environmental crimes. In his Boeing, he flies low over illegal fishing fleets fishing in Argentina’s economic zone.
It’s 6:30 p.m. in Buenos Aires when a long-haul private plane takes off from Ezeiza Airport heading for dusk. Shortly thereafter, she turns and flies out into the open sea. The goal: the 200-mile limit off the coast. Argentina’s exclusive economic zone ends there.
Enrique Piñeyro with a gray three-day beard sits in the cockpit and routinely steers his Boeing through the dark night. The 66-year-old Piñeyro is a pilot, actor, doctor – and above all very rich. His grandfather had founded a company empire. With the sale of his shares, Piñeyro became independent and since then has repeatedly appeared as an environmental activist.
Sea of lights from fishing boats
While he is serving snacks and wine from his own top restaurant to the journalists and diplomats who are traveling with him on board, it is getting lighter and brighter outside. Piñeyro lowers his Boeing to an altitude of 1,700 meters. Suddenly a sea of lights appears under the plane – almost like a starry sky.
The plane has reached the goal of Piñeyro’s current mission: he wants to show the public illegal fishing off the Argentine coast. It is mainly Chinese fishing fleets that are sifting through Argentina’s exclusive economic zone with their nets on a large scale. In the dark, the reflectors of countless ships are clearly visible. When flying over, the sea seems brightly lit like a big city. “We fly over this fleet for 30 minutes and it just won’t stop because it’s so big,” explains Piñeyro indignantly.
As a pilot, Piñeyro has been observing illegal foreign fishing fleets off the coasts of South America for decades.
Image: ARD Studio Rio de Janeiro
26 million tons of illegal loot annually
In April 2021 they counted 517 boats, Piñeyro said over the on-board microphone. How many there are exactly this time can only be determined afterwards when evaluating the recordings. The ships often came from China, says Piñeyro – but illegal Japanese and Korean fleets have also been spotted.
In the Pacific, too, off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador, which are rich in fish, the sea is brightly lit at night because foreign fleets are exploiting the ocean. Piñeyro was already there with his Boeing.
These fishing fleets usually fish in foreign economic zones without permission. As a pilot, Piñeyro has been observing this for decades. Experts estimate up to 26 million tons of illegal loot worldwide every year. The fleets usually target lobster, hake and squid.
A dazzling figure
Enrique Piñeyro is a dazzling figure in Argentina. He became known of all things in connection with a plane crash. As a pilot for the airline LAPA in the 1990s, he repeatedly pointed out poor safety standards and even resigned as a result.
A short time later, his warnings were tragically fulfilled: in 1999, a LAPA plane crashed on takeoff in Buenos Aires. 63 people died. From the story of his ill-fated prophecy, Piñeyro made a feature film – “Whiskey, Romeo, Zulu” – starring himself. He produced more films, performed as a stand-up comedian and opened a restaurant in Buenos Aires that has been booked out for months.
Humanitarian actions with media impact
Piñeyro does not like to talk about his fortune in the millions and does not publish any figures. One thing is clear: he belongs to one of the richest families in Argentina, the Rocca, who own the multinational industrial group Techint. After Enrique Piñeyro sold his shares in the company, he founded the aid organization Solidaire.
Since then he has regularly drawn attention to himself with media-effective humanitarian campaigns, in which he prefers to sit in the cockpit of his plane himself. Most recently, he has flown Ukrainian refugees to various host countries. He also works with the Spanish NGO Open Arms, which, among other things, rescues refugees from the Mediterranean.
“Enormous damage for the future”
During the flight over the Atlantic, the line to the cockpit is long. Numerous journalists want to look over the shoulder of the eco-millionaire at work. Also on board are the ambassadors of the EU, the USA and Japan in Argentina. They want to get an idea of the size of the fishing fleets.
At the subsequent press conference in the airport hall, Piñeyro made it clear once again what his motives are: “This kind of marine devastation should be prevented with the help of international treaties, because the consequences of this fishing can be felt worldwide.”
If he had his way, the affected countries would have to monitor their borders with daily flights. The few state control boats are not up to this great task. Illegal fishing is “an enormous damage for the future” and would have far-reaching consequences for the entire ecosystem. “It’s not just an Argentine problem, it’s a problem for all of humanity.”
According to activist Enrique Piñeyro, it is primarily Chinese fishing fleets that are sifting through Argentina’s exclusive economic zone with their nets on a large scale.
Image: REUTERS
Jet set for a good cause
He doesn’t have much time after the flight. The next day we go to Lebanon. There he wants to deliver aid supplies for Syria. He then flies on to Madrid and Warsaw to transport Ukrainian refugees to Canada. Why is he doing all this? “Why shouldn’t I do it?” Piñeyro asks back. It’s pure compassion. “Humanity is something that concerns us all, and whoever is in need is in need.”
Whether as a leading actor in films or at the controls of his private plane: Enrique Piñeyro not only invests a lot of money in the projects for which he is committed, but also puts himself at the center of the action. As an actor, pilot, restaurateur, doctor and environmental activist.
In any case, his Atlantic flight triggered a great deal of media coverage because he made his fellow passengers aware of a problem that they would not have seen otherwise.