R.S.N. Murali The Star 2 Feb 10;
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Marine Parks Department has thwarted attempts by six fishing vessels to encroach into prohibited areas around Pulau Redang near here since the beginning of the year.
In all the cases, the boats were locally registered but the fishing crew were foreigners.
Department director-general Abd Jamil Mydin said yesterday the vessels entered prohibited waters despite knowing that they were barred from doing so.
Terengganu has 13 gazetted marine parks and fishermen are not allowed to cast their nets in these place.
In the latest incident, two Johor-registered fishing vessels with catches worth about RM8,000 were seized for trespassing into waters gazetted as marine parks near Pulau Redang, Abd Jamil said.
Six Thai nationals were detained at about 10.30pm on Friday night some 2.4 nautical miles from Tanjung Gua Kawah marine park, and 1,200kg of catch were seized.
An hour later, another vessel with five Thais was spotted fishing illegally about 3.1 nautical miles from Tanjung Lang Marine Park, also in waters off Pulau Redang. Their catch of 1,300kg was confiscated.
The crew of the two boats had switched off the navigation lights in a bid to avoid detection.
Abd Jamil said the crew of both vessels will face charges under Section 8 (b) of the Fishery Act 1985 which provides for a maximum RM20,000 fine or two years’ jail.
