KKP Seizes Six Foreign Fishing Boats

Jakarta, April 21 (Antara) - Fishery and Maritime Ministry personnel seized six foreign fishing boats and an Indonesian flag-hoisting fishing vessel with foreign crew members operating illegally in the country's waters. "The foreign fishing boats operating illegally in the Indonesian waters causes great loss to Indonesian fishermen and threatening the sustainability on processing of the Indonesian maritime and fishery resources," Fishery and Maritime minister, Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said here on Sunday. Thus, Sharif expressed appreciation to the ministry's supervisory personnel who had seized the six foreign fishing boats. According to him, three of the fishing boats are the Vietnamese flag-hoisting ones that operated illegally in Indonesian western waters, while another three are the Philippines flag-hoisting boats that illegally operated in the country's eastern waters. "All the six foreign boats entered the Indonesian waters illegally and stole fish," the minister stated. (*)