Shahref points to the Vietnamese fishermen caught last Saturday.
KUCHING: An attempt by the crew of a Vietnamese vessel to fool authorities by flying the Sarawak and Malaysia flags failed miserably after they were busted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
MMEA Kuching district director Shahref Steve Mac Queen Abdullah said the vessel’s seizure and arrest of the vessel’s skipper and crew came following a tip-off by members of the local maritime community.
“Their tactics to fool the enforcement agency by flying the state and national flags had failed, leading to the latest arrest of seven crew members and a skipper aged between 16 and 45.
“The vessel was caught fishing illegally some 100 nautical miles from Tanjung Po around 10am on Saturday, with roughly three tonnes of different species of fish seized,” he said in a press conference at the Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex here yesterday.
Shahref added that the eight Vietnamese will be investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985, which carries a fine of between RM100,000 and RM1 million, or imprisonment, if convicted in court.
He stressed that the number of foreign fishing vessels seized has doubled this year, adding that encroachment into local waters by Vietnamese fishermen is now a serious concern.
“For Sarawak alone, based on the statistics, as of yesterday a total of 29 Vietnamese vessels have been detained including 346 crew members and skippers.
“Compared to last year, from Jan to Dec, only 12 Vietnamese vessels were caught with a total of 117 crew members and skippers arrested.”
Also present during the press conference was MMEA Kuching district deputy chief Mohd Ariz Md Kassim.