Mauritius Tuna Vessel Caught IUU Fishing In Reunion EEZff
12 October 2009
Mauritius Source: African Press Agency
The authorities in the nearby French dependency of Reunion have warned that all fishing vessels flying the Mauritian flag caught operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the island will face heavier fines than those that are applied presently and the crew will be jailed, APA learns in the Mauritian capital Port Louis on Sunday.
Sources at the Port Authority here indicate that the decision has been taken after the Reunion authorities noticed a sudden increase in the number of ships illegally fishing in the EEZ of the island.
The latest case relates to an Indonesian fishing vessel flying the Mauritian flag that has been intercepted at 10 nautical miles inside the EEZ of the island on Saturday, the sources averred.
The sources add that the vessel was first spotted by a French army helicopter and it was finally intercepted by the French frigate “Floreal†just as it had only 2 miles to sail in order to leave the exclusive zone.
Some 50 tons of tuna have been seized and the ship has been escorted to the port in Reunion, said the sources.
The French naval force also last week intercepted The Apache, another fishing vessel flying the Mauritian flag and which was caught fishing in the EEZ of Kerguelen, a group of islands south of Reunion and which forms part of France’s overseas territory.
