Another Shark Fishing Boat Caught in the Seychelles
The Seychelles, a archipelago in the western Indian Ocean with a huge Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 million square kilometres, faces challenges when it comes to monitoring illegal activities in the nation's waters.
A Sri Lankan-flagged fishing vessel was spotted by Seychelles Air Force Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) during a routine surveillance operation on the Mahe Plateau, south east of the main island. The boat was apprehended by the Seychelles Coast Guard patrol ship Topaz and diverted to Port Victoria for investigation. No boarding operation could be conducted immediately while the crew members remained in quarantine on board the vessel for 14 days in line with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines nor was the cargo removed.
Subsquently, Seychelles authorities discovered around 6.9 metric tonnes of shark. “We presumed the fish were caught in Seychelles' waters, based on where the boat was spotted and subsequently intercepted," This is the fourth illegal fishing vessel intercepted by Seychelles Coast Guard this year and the boat intercepted in this latest incident is presumed to belong to the same person.