15 fishermen hauled up for illegal fishing in Terengganu waters

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu Fisheries Department detained four boats with 15 fishermen including the skipper and eight Thai nationals, off the coast of Terengganu in the two-day "Ops Gelora Khas" which ended this morning.
Terengganu Fisheries Department director Zawawi Ali said, two fishing boats from Terengganu were detained first at Port Cendering around 9am to 7pm yesterday.
The two other boats detained were registered in Pahang and were fishing within 12 to 17 nautical miles limit off the coastline of Terengganu on Friday.
They were caught catching fish at a distance of 10 nautical miles from Pulau Kapas.
Both boats have been detained for fishing with a trawler-net vessel that used bait-hooks in excess of the permitted size and for hiring foreign nationals without valid travel documents, he told reporters here today.
All the 15 fishermen, aged between 20 and 50 years, have been detained to facilitate investigation. Their three tonnes of catch, fishing equipment and vessels worth RM3 million were also seized. — Bernama