KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak detained two local fishing boats for allegedly fishing outside the permitted zone as specified in their licences.
Its director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus in a statement, said the boats were detained separately on Sept 8 and Sept 11.
The first incident happened when a class A fishing boat was spotted conducting towing activities and believed to be using equipment not permitted under its licence about one nautical mile northwest of Tanjung Po.
In the other incident, another class A fishing boat was spotted carrying out similar activity, about two nautical miles north of Asajaya.
“Inspections found that both vessels were each operated by three crew members including the skippers.
“All of them aged between 16 and 64, are locals and have valid identification documents
“Both vessels and the crew members were arrested upon suspicion of committing an offence under Section 8 (b) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for violating the conditions of their licence, which may result in compounds from the Malaysian Fisheries Department,” he said.
Zin Azman said the vessels and crew members were taken to the Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex Jetty (KOMTAS) for further action.
MMEA advices the maritime community, especially local fishermen, to always obey the law and prioritise safety when at sea.
Should there be any accident or emergency at sea, the public can contact the MMEA Sarawak Operations Centre at 082-432544 or MERS 999.
