The owners of two foreign tuna fishing boats recently seized by the authorities in Mozambican waters off the coast of the central province of Sofala, have been fined 16 billion meticais (about 667,000 US dollars), and their illicit catch has been confiscated, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily “Noticiasâ€.
The offenders requested an extension of the initial eight days deadline they had been given to pay the fine, and Fisheries Minister Cadmiel Muthemba allowed them a further five days, but again they failed to pay. Thus, the Mozambican Fisheries Ministry has decided to resort to legal mechanisms to collect the money. This could mean that the two vessels will be confiscated and sold to the highest bidder.
The two Asian ships, one registered in Indonesia, and the other in China, had been licensed to fish for tuna, but they were caught with about 70 tons of shark, plus unlicensed fishing equipment, which was also confiscated.
The assistant national director of fisheries, Francisco Bomba, told reporters on Monday that the seized cargo of shark is to be sold at public action, and the unlicensed equipment will be destroyed. He said that if no buyer is interested in shark meat, the cargo will be offered to charitable institutions.
Shark fins are highly appreciated in the Asian market, where they sell for about USD 118 per kilo.
The illegal fishing was detected thanks to cooperation between the Mozambican and South African authorities as part of a seven-year maritime inspection program being implemented under a program of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) since March 2001.
The program aims at creating regional capacity to fight against piracy, and at harmonizing the inspection methods and the management of maritime resources in the region.