Thursday, March 28, 2024

Vietnamese illegal fishing boats destroyed after seizure off Top End coast


By Jesse Dorsett and Felicity James, ABC.net



Two illegal fishing boats have been torched in Darwin.







fishing boat fire




The Vietnamese wooden fishing boats were destroyed by fisheries officers. Photo by Jesse Dorsett/ABC.net


The Vietnamese boats were found with two other vessels last month near Evans Shoal, about 350 kilometres north-west of Darwin.


Australian Fisheries Management Authority officers said almost 200 giant clams were found on board the boats.


The clams can sell for up to $5,000 each.


The masters of the boats have been fined between $5,000 and $10,000 for illegal fishing.


Their crews are expected to be sent back to Vietnam soon.


Meanwhile, a Federal Court judge has found Royal Australian Navy officers failed to properly search an Indonesian fisherman’s boat for evidence of illegal fishing before burning it at sea in 2008.

Read the full story by Jesse Dorsett and Felicity James from ABC.net.

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