TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta : The Office for Sea and Fisheries Resources Management reported the detention of nine fishing boats from Thailand and Vietnam along with hundreds of crews. The capture was made on September 3rd in Natuna Sea in Riau Islands province.
There were 150 seamen arrested in the capture but authorities have deported most of them leaving only 15 crews in custody. The boats have the capacity to contain 15-20 tonnes of fish and every boat contained about 10 tonnes of fish when they were captured.
Official with the fisheries office Aji Sularso said it has dumped all the catches as they were decomposing.
Some of the boats were functioning as fuel carrier to supply fuel for the fishing boats and also to smuggle the fish.
Dian Yuliastuti
