Fourth Iranian-flagged fishing boat caught fishing illegally |18 January 2010

Named the Alasad, the boat is a dhow similar to the three others seized near the Topaz bank last Wednesday but the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) said it is not sure if it was one of three that got away when pursued.

“We hope to establish where they come from and the route they took to get here through their Global Positioning System,” said SCG’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rosette.
 
When the authorities got to the scene, which was East off Denis Island in the “Bar de L’Est” area, the net had already been stowed away on deck, but all indications showed that it had just been done so, further highlighted by a catch of fish that the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) described as “still fresh from the sea”.

A check in the boat’s hold revealed a catch of tuna and tuna-related species such as bonito and kingfish.
The dhow, which had a 15-man crew of Pakistani and Iranian origin, was reported to the SCG to be reeling in a drift net, a type of fishing illegal in the Indian Ocean.

The crew have been confined to their boat for now, while an investigation is under way and information is being gathered from them through a local interpreter.

The SFA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Attorney General’ office, are in the process of establishing contact with the boat’s owner and the authorities of the vessel’s home port.

With this fourth seizure, there are now a total of 98 fishermen arrested and confined to their boat until the court proceedings are ready to begin.