The incident was spotted by the VMS system on June 29 leading to the coastguard being dispatched to make the arrest and bring the Sun Tai 2 back to Victoria.|
The SFA's Gerard Domingue said that certain areas within Seychelles' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are set aside for the use of local artisanal fishermen, adding, “the information (on restricted areas) is available to the public and as a fishing company it is in their interest to ensure that they know what our fishing laws entail.†Mr. Domingue said that the Japanese skipper of the Indonesian crewed vessel is likely to be charged with illegal fishing inside a restricted zone and the rest of the crew will probably be repatriated, leading to discussions between the ship's owners, the SFA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But the resolution of the court case will still leave the tangled issue of the Sun Tai 2's fishing lines. The vessels gear, measuring an incredible 129km, is still set in the area in which the vessel was picked up and the SFA research ship has been dispatched to watch over it, but is unlikely to be able to haul in the lines itself.
Mr. Domingue said that one solution might be to await the end of the court case before sending the Sun Tai 2 back out to sea to collect its fishing gear.
The VMS tracking system has been operational since March 2002 and Mr. Domingue said that one of the conditions for a vessel to be licensed to fish in Seychelles' waters is that it be capable of being tracked by the system. He acknowledged, however, that smaller vessels without tracking equipment could illegally enter and fish within the EEZ without being seen on the VMS. “We have had reports of vessels fishing around the southern island groups, but by the time the information reaches us it is too old. The chance of receiving real time information is remote,†he said.
