BATAM (Riau Islands): Indonesian water patrol police have nabbed 61 Vietnamese crew for poaching using trawlers in Riau Islands waters, Indonesias news agency Antarareported. <\/p>\n
Commander of Water Patrol Boat Bisma 8001 Adjunct Senior Commissioner Sigit N Hidayat said yesterday the crew members were detained on Jan 4 along with four boats and three tonnes of fish at two separate locations around 15 miles off Jemaja Isle, Anambas District. <\/p>\n
The loss from fish that has been caught amounts to hundreds of millions, but the environmental damage caused by the trawlers is even worse, Sigit said. <\/p>\n
The Vietnamese crew had earlier applied for permits to fish in the Riau Islands waters at the Batam maritime affairs and fisheries office but their request was turned down. <\/p>\n
The group went ahead to poach fish in Riau Islands on their way back to Vietnam. <\/p>\n
The Vietnamese boats were reportedly spotted poaching regularly in Indonesian waters since last September. <\/p>\n
In July last year, four Thai fishing boats were caught fishing illegally in the seas off eastern Aceh by Indonesian maritime authorities. <\/p>\n
A total of 36 crew including 8 Thai and 28 Myanmar nationals were detained. Bernama <\/p>\n
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61 Vietnamese nabbed for poaching in Riau Islands waters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BATAM (Riau Islands): Indonesian water patrol police have nabbed 61 Vietnamese crew for poaching using trawlers in Riau Islands waters, Indonesias news agency Antarareported. Continue reading