Five trawler boats, crew detained for fishing in prohibited area

BACHOK: The Kelantan Fisheries Department detained five trawler boats with 15 crew members on suspicion of fishing in a prohibited area in the waters off Pantai Tok Bali, Pasir Puteh today.
Its director, Anuar Salam Sulaiman said the men, aged between 20 and 40, were detected carrying out fishing activities about one nautical mile off the coastal area about 8am when they were supposed to do so only two nautical miles away.
"Fishing in the area of less than two miles off the beach can affect the livelihood of coastal fishermen. During the monsoon season, prawns will be closer to the beach. They (fishermen) are supposed to fish out using the three-layer drift nets.
"Perhaps, they used the prohibited equipment, namely trawlers, to catch more (prawns) in a short period of time," he told reporters at the Fisheries Resources Protection Base of the Kelantan Fisheries Department in Tawang here.
Anuar Salam also said the department had received a number of complaints from coastal fishermen on the encroachment of trawler boats in the area. — Bernama