Australia has warned that illegal fishing in its waters will not be tolerated, amid reports of an influx of foreign poachers into the region.
Figures released this week by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) show 20 foreign fishing boats were apprehended in 2015-2016, compared to just six reported incidents in 2014-2015.
On Saturday, a vessel was intercepted near Dianne Bank, around 250 nautical miles northeast of Cairns and 136 nautical miles within Australia’s fishing zone.
Fishing without permission undermines the very rules and regulations in place to ensure that Australians can continue to enjoy a healthy supply of seafood for many generations to come, AMFA said in a statement.
AFMA said increased prices for seafood such as sea cucumbers were behind the rise in poaching.
Colin Simpfendorfer, director of James Cook University’s Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, told Australian broadcaster ABC that tensions in the South China Sea had also contributed to the spike in illegal fishing.
We know there are some large geopolitical issues at play in Southeast Asia, so we’re seeing fishermen moving out of Southeast Asia into Australian waters, he said, as cited by ABC on Tuesday.
Reports that fishermen in Southeast Asia are increasingly moving into Australian waters come weeks after Indonesia announced that the arrest of illegal fishing vessels off its own coast had encouraged growth in its exports.
Indonesian fishermen told epa on Wednesday that the arrests of fishermen from other Southeast Asian countries had made it easier to do their jobs, noting that they were able to live comfortably off their profits.
Latin American Herald Tribune – 2005-2015