Vanuatu police, aided by US Coast Guard, say Chinese vessels violated fishing laws
Source: Reuters
Vanuatu police, aided by US Coast Guard, say Chinese vessels violated fishing laws
Kirsty Needham
Updated Wed, March 6, 2024 at 2:21 AM EST·3 min read
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Six Chinese fishing boats were found to be violating Vanuatu's fisheries law after being inspected by local police who were on board the first U.S. Coast Guard boat to patrol the waters of the Pacific Islands nation, Vanuatu police and officials said.
The infringements included failing to record the fish caught in log books, a fisheries official told Reuters, noting it was the first time in several years police could inspect Chinese boats that fish in Vanuatu's exclusive economic zone and then offload their catch in other countries.
One of the Chinese vessels that police said had breached the law is owned by Chinese state-owned company CNFC Overseas Fisheries, which has a joint venture with Vanuatu's government called Sino-Van, a Reuters review of ship registration details and company filings showed.
Yakar Silas, principal monitoring, control and surveillance officer with Vanuatu's Fisheries Department, said penalty notices would be sent to several Chinese companies and their local agents in Vanuatu.
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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/vanuatu-police-aided-us-coast-045815274.html
