MERSING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has impounded a local fishing boat for suspicion of carrying out illegal fishing off Johor waters.
The Mersing zone MMEA chief Suhaizan Saadin said the boat was stopped on Wednesday (Feb 8) at noon about 1.6 nautical miles or 2.96km off east Tanjung Resang near here.
“Five crew members on board, all aged from 17 to 41 years old, including the skipper, were detained during Ops Jaksa," he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 9).
Suhaizan said initial investigations found that the suspects had committed the offence about two nautical miles from the coast.
He said the case would be investigated under Section 8(b) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for violating licence regulations.
“The boat and the crewmen were detained along with 500kg of catch,’’ said Suhaizan.
He said the boat had been towed to MMEA's Teluk Gading jetty for further action.
“We will not compromise and will take stern action against those found committing offences under the maritime laws," he said.
The public can contact the Johor MMEA operations centre at 07-2199 401 or MERS 999 if they have any information on maritime crimes.
