KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has foiled the ninth attempt this year by fishermen to illegally harvest sea cucumber off Sabah’s northern Kudat district.
The agency intercepted a Vietnamese trawler and seized sea cucumber weighing about 500kg yesterday. Five crewmen, all Vietnamese aged between 29 and 39, were detained.
Kudat Maritime Operations director Musa Dail said his men located the fishing boat about 18 nautical miles from Sibongor Laut Island near Kudat at about 10am,
He said the boat did not have proper registration documents while the crewmen, including the skipper, did not have personal papers.
The total value of the seizure, including the boat and fishing equipment, was estimated at RM600,000.
Musa said Sabah is known for its abundance of sea cucumber, considered a luxury item, and in demand both locally and overseas.
“That is why foreign fishermen are bold enough to trespass our waters to illegally catch them,” he said.
The Vietnamese fishermen were brought to Kudat port and handed over to the authorities for investigation under the fisheries and immigration laws. - FMT
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