Taipei, June 28 (CNA) A Chinese fishing vessel and its crew were detained by Taiwanese authorities Monday after it was found poaching in waters near the Taiwan-held Penghu Islands, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).
The Aonanao 31201 fishing vessel was caught trespassing and operating illegally in waters 20.7 nautical miles west of Huayu islet in the Penghu archipelago by a CGA patrol.
The CGA issued three warnings, but the Chinese ship refused to allow an inspection and tried to escape by zigzagging at full speed with its crew holding cleavers and iron bars on the vessel’s deck.
It wasn’t until the Penghu patrol took out shotguns that the Chinese ship gave up.
The Penghu patrol boarded the ship and an onboard inspection found some 760 kilograms of fish that was later tossed into the sea.
The ship and its seven crew members, including the captain surnamed Chen (陳), were taken into custody by the CGA.
After the ship and crew were taken back to Penghu, the county’s Public Health Bureau disinfected the vessel and tested the crew for COVID-19, and the results came back negative, the CGA said.
It said the case will be handled based on the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.
According to the CGA, six Chinese fishing boats have been caught poaching in waters near Penghu since May, when an annual three-month summer fishing ban in waters to the north, east and south of China began.
The Coast Guard vowed to strengthen patrols to protect Taiwan’s waters during this period.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel