By Brad Rantayy
MIRI, Jan 23: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized a locally registered fishing vessel for illegal fishing.
The boat, operated by an Indonesian and two crews, were found to have harvested marine life along the Bakam waters that was too close to the coast.
According to the Miri MMEA chief, Capt Mohd Faizi Othman, the vessel was caught fishing about 6.9 nautical miles off shore and violated the Fisheries Act 1985, which prohibited fishing less than 12 nautical miles from the beach (for big vessels).
“Our patrol vessel spotted and approached the fishing boat for suspicious activity at around 7am, Wednesday,” he said in a statement.
The boat and the crew members have been brought to a nearby jetty for further investigation. — DayakDaily
