Nine Indonesian fishing vessels have been captured in Australia's northern fishing zone, federal Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald said. He said the boats were seized during a weekend crackdown on illegal fishing off the Northern Territory coast by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), Customs and the Australian Defence Force.
“Seven of the vessels were caught in a 12 hour period on Saturday thanks to the efforts of Customs and the navy as well as the vigilance of the Coastwatch aircraft and the Royal Australian Air Force,†he said in a statement.
Senator Macdonald said three of the vessels were apprehended after attempting to make a dash for Indonesian waters when they were confronted by Australian patrol vessels. Five of the boats were taken to Gove in the Northern Territory and three to Darwin.
Senator Macdonald said one vessel was destroyed at sea due to safety concerns for crewmembers. “All the fishing vessels had navigational equipment on board including sophisticated Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and navigational charts,†he said.
Shark fin, dried tuna and various other fish species were found aboard the boats. Already this year 127 vessels have been apprehended for fishing illegally in Australian waters.