Fishermen busted for using unauthorised equipment

LABUAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized a local fishing boat and detained its skipper along with six foreign crewmembers for illegally fishing in Labuan waters on Friday.

Labuan Maritime Zone director Capt Nudin Jusoh said the agency’s KM Bistari patrol boat detected a boat engaged in fishing activities at 31.2 nautical miles from Labuan.

On inspection, it was found that the crew, consisting of five Vietnamese and an Indonesian, was fishing for sea cucumber using unauthorised equipment.

“The undocumented foreigners, aged between 20 and 44, along with the skipper, have been detained,” he said, Bernama reported.

The case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act for trespassing and fishing in Malaysian waters without permission, and the Immigration Act for failure to produce valid identification documents.

Nudin urged the maritime community to cooperate in curbing criminal activities by making a complaint through the MERS 999 line or the Labuan Maritime Operations Centre at 087-427999.