We have identified three areas that we should to be aware of as spots susceptible to illegal fishing. The three areas are the North Natuna Sea, Malacca Straits, and Sulawesi SeaBandung, W Java (ANTARA) - The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has identified three areas -- the waters of North Natuna Sea, Malacca Straits, and Sulawesi Sea -- as being prone to illegal fishing practices by foreign vessels.
"We have identified three areas that we should to be aware of as spots susceptible to illegal fishing. The three areas are the North Natuna Sea, Malacca Straits, and Sulawesi Sea," the ministry's Director General of Marine Resource and Fisheries Surveillance Tb Haeru Rahayu noted in a statement here on Wednesday.
On Tuesday (March 10), the Directorate General of Marine Resource and Fisheries Surveillance had detained two illegal fishing vessels for poaching in the Malacca Straits.
The authority has also arrested 12 Myanmarese crew members that had operated the banned trawl net.
Earlier in March, the agency had detained five illegal foreign vessels for poaching in the North Natuna waters and took 68 Vietnamese crew members into detention.
The Pontianak immigration office has detained 27 Vietnamese fishermen from three fishing vessels for poaching in the North Natuna waters recently.
Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Edhy Prabowo has reiterated the ministry's commitment to stepping up its surveillance and fortifying its patrolling fleet.
During the course of the past four months, the ministry had detained 15 illegal foreign vessels comprising eight Vietnamese ships, four Philippine boats, and three Malaysian boats.
Related news: Fisheries Ministry detains five foreign fishing boats in Natuna
Related news: Seized Chinese fishing vessel sank in Semau Island waters, NTT
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Translator: M Razi Rahman, Sri Haryati
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