Another five Malaysian tuna trawlers and their crew failed to escape with their marine cargo off Kota Kinabalu and Kota Belud in
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency intercepted four Kudat-Malyasia registered trawlers laden with fish caught illegally at
They found two live Green turtles in one boat and released the protected animals at the mouth of Sungai Mengkobang, later the same day.
Twenty-three of the crew were Indonesians and the rest were locals.
The skippers were Indonesians and most of the foreigners’ documents were dubious.
He said two high-powered boats were sent to scour the bay after small time fishermen operating in the area reported several suspicious vessels there.
The enforcement agency spotted the trawlers about one nautical mile from land at about 5.40am and ordered them to stop. They tried to run but surrendered after about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, one Vietnamese-owned vessel was caught with large tuna and live green turtles on board, according to Royal Malaysian Navy Chief of Staff (Operation) Mohd Isnin Ismail Ibrahim Khan.
He said in the incident about 80 nautical miles northeast of Kota Kinabalu Tuesday, a Vietnamese trawler was detained at 1.47pm for encroaching into Malaysian waters.
The 33-years old Vietnamese skipper and his eight crew aged between 30 and 42 were arrested.
â€Our personnel spotted the trawler during a routine patrol and a 15-minute chase ensued when the trawler tried to escape. On board the trawler were three containers of fish including four large tuna that could fetch up to RM10,000 each,†he said.
Isnin said the trawler did not have any valid documents to fish in Malaysian waters and that the trawler and crew would be handed over to the Fisheries Department for further action.
â€We will step up measures to curb encroachments given the prevailing calmer sea conditions which make it easier for foreign trawlers to trespass into the nation’s waters,†he said.
The Navy recorded 17 cases of encroachment into Malaysian waters last year.