MIRI: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) seized a fishing boat and arrested five men, including a skipper, onboard for allegedly carrying out illegal fishing activities on Tuesday.
Miri Zone Maritime director Capt Md Fauzi Othman said the boat, which had a Malaysian and four Indonesians aged 27 to 65 onboard, was detected less than seven nautical miles off Kuala Baram around 7.40am on Tuesday.
He said in a statement today that the crew members tried to escape but were stopped by the MMEA’s patrol boat during Ops Permai after a 10-minute chase.
“Upon inspecting the boat, no fishing gear was found as the crew members tossed the equipment out into the sea upon realising the presence of the MMEA,” he said.
“They were then instructed to turn the boat back to the position where enforcement officers found part of a floating net believed to be theirs,” he added.
The boat and crew members have been detained for further investigation.
The boat was seized for breaking regulation under Section 8(b) of Fisheries Act 1985 for violating the license’s term.
