KEMAMAN: Two Vietnamese fishing boats detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for illegal fishing were also found to be catching sharks as well.
Pahang MMEA deputy director, Maritime Captain V. Pannir Selvan said MMEA detained the boats with 15 crew members including two skippers at 103 nautical mile northeast of Kuantan at 5pm yesterday.
“Both boats were carrying about two tonnes of fish. Apart from that, there were aquarium-like compartments in one of the boats containing live sharks for sale to foreign countries at a much higher price,“ he said in a statement here today.
According to Pannir, MMEA also found cash money estimated at almost RM15,000 in both vessels.
He said the items seized included the boats costing about RM2 million and all 15 Vietnamese fishermen aged between 19 and 51 would be investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing valid identification documents.
They were also investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for fishing in Malaysian waters without the approval of the Fisheries director-general of Malaysia. — Bernama
