The Nigerian Navy has handed over four fishing trawlers and 52 crew members, including three foreigners, to the Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture following their arrests for alleged illegal fishing activities on the Brass River in Bayelsa State.

The four vessels are named Star Shrimpers 3; Comos 1; Trade Wind and ORC VII while the three foreigners are nationals of Ghana.

The Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base, FORMOSO, Brass, Navy Captain Suleiman Ibrahim handed over the suspects to the officials of the federal agency on Tuesday in Brass, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Ibrahim said the effective collaboration between the Navy under the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Federal Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was yielding positive results.

He said the law clearly stated that fishing trawlers were not allowed to fish within the five nautical miles of the restricted zone.

Ibrahim said, “The Navy detected the illegal activities of these four fishing vessels with the use of maritime domain awareness equipment trawling within the 5 nautical miles restricted zones, and we thereafter deployed to intercept them.

“Precisely on the 24th of this month (September) we handed over two fishing trawlers for fishing with the 5 nautical miles restricted zone. Equally, the same scenario is happening again, four fishing trawlers were also arrested for the same offence and they were tracked and we intercepted them.

“And I believe with this existing collaboration and partnership with other government agencies, they’ll be able to educate the companies more on the need to avoid the restricted areas to avoid crisis with local fisher men.”

Speaking at the event, the Assistant Director and Head of Monitoring, Control and Surveillance, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Popoola Babatunde, said that after an extensive discussion with the captains and crew of the seized vessels he observed that the vessels were dropped within the non-trawling zones which are areas meant for canoe fishermen.

He said that appropriate action would be taken against them, if found capable. (Daily Independent)

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