Sarawak MMEA seized 37 foreign fishing boats in 2017

KUCHING: The Sarawak Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ( MMEA) seized 37 foreign boats for fishing illegally in the country’s waters last year, the highest number ever recorded since its formation 13 years ago.

Basedonstatistics,from2006until May this year the Sarawak MMEA seized 140 foreign fishing boats which mostly involved Vietnamese vessels and fishermen.

The statistics also showed a gradual increase in number of boats seized which began with two boats in 2014 increasing to 11 in 2015, 14 in 2016, and huge spike recorded last year at 37.

As of May this year, five foreign fishing boats mostly involving Vietnamese nationals were detained for illegal fishing in the country’s waters.

“On May 23 we seized two foreign fishing boats, masquerading as local cargo boats with 47 crew on board, about 170 nautical miles from Tanjung Po here,” said Sarawak MMEA deputy operations director Captain Shahref Steve Mac Queen Abdullah. The statistics also showed 1,042 arrests were made by the Sarawak MMEA for various offences committed in the country’s waters since 2006, with the figures increasing from 46 arrests in 2013 to 73 in 2014, 79 in 2015, and 90 in 2016.

Last year, 108 arrests were made, while the highest number of arrests by Sarawak MMEA was recorded in 2010 with 173 arrests. — Bernama