Two Sri Lankan fishing boats intercepted on suspicion of illegal fishing |07 December 2019

Two Sri Lankan registered fishing boats have been intercepted by the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) on suspicion of fishing illegally in the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

One of the boats named Speed Bird with five crew on board, was first spotted and confronted by a local fishing vessel operating south of Mahé on Thursday December 5, 2019. SCG Patrol Boat La Fleche that was on patrol in the area was diverted to intervene.

Seychelles Air Force (SAF) Dornier patrol aircraft then spotted another vessel further south, and again La Fleche proceeded to intercept and board this second boat named Maduka with six crew on board.

Inspections carried out by the Coast Guard boarding teams on both vessels indicated that they may have been involved in illegal fishing activities within Seychelles waters.

Following consultation with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), the two boats were escorted to Port Victoria by La Fleche and Topaz patrol boats for further investigation.

The two boats arrived in Port Victoria in the early hours of yesterday and have subsequently been handed over to the SFA and the police.

This is the sixth and seventh suspected illegal fishing case that has been investigated since the start of 2019. Four out of the seven cases resulted in successful prosecution in the Supreme Court of Seychelles.

The accompanying photographs show La Fleche and Topaz after they had intercepted the two fishing boats.

Source : SFA/SPDF

Photo sources: SFA/SPDF