SCG intercepts 15 foreigners suspected of illegal fishing |30 November 2015

Fifteen foreigners suspected of illegal fishing in Seychelles waters have been arrested.

They were escorted to Port Victoria last week after they were intercepted by the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) and rangers from the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF).

According to a statement issued this weekend, the SCG said the 15 foreigners were spotted by one of its patrol vessels base on Aldabra last week.

The public relations officer of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF), Major Jean Attala, told Seychelles NATION that the suspects are now in police custody while investigation into the incident continues.

The Seychelles archipelago consists of 115 widely-spread coral and granitic islands, and the nation’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) covers a vast 1.3 million square kilometres of ocean, an area which is often difficult to police for illegal fishing activities.