Pacific island countries jointly investigate illegal fishing and seize 4 Chinese and Indonesian fishing boats

(Central News Agency, Sydney, comprehensive foreign news report on the 21st) Officials from Pacific island countries told AFP that several governments jointly investigated illegal fishing in August and seized four Chinese and Indonesian fishing boats.

A statement sent to AFP by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) pointed out that the governments of Kiribati, Palau and Papua New Guinea seized four ships or escorted them to ports on the grounds of illegal fishing or violation of fishing regulations.

The statement noted that the seized vessels included Chinese and Indonesian fishing vessels. 11 Pacific island countries launched a joint inspection from August 3 to 14, boarding more than 100 fishing boats in 28 million square kilometers of sea area.

Fisheries officials point out that half of the world's tuna is caught in this area, but only 15% is processed or processed in Pacific island countries.

According to FFA statistics, these catches support the livelihood of about one-third of families in Pacific island countries, and bring US$500 million in access fees and US$1.2 billion in export earnings to Pacific island countries every year.

Most tuna is transported to the Asian market by distant-water fishing vessels, and fleets must pay entry fees to enter the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Pacific island countries for fishing.

Publicly naming Chinese fishing vessels for suspected illegal activities is a sensitive topic in a region where Chinese companies operate large ocean-going fleets and have fishery joint ventures with several Pacific island countries.

In July, Tuvalu, an ally of Taiwan and a Pacific island nation, seized a Chinese fishing vessel operating in its waters and forging coordinates. The ship was detained for 24 days and released after paying a fine.