Yesterday, Indonesian authorities sank at least eight boats, in order to commemorate the country’s national day as the biggest southeast Asian nation cracks down on illegal fishing.
Eight illegal fishing vessels from the Philippines were destroyed on the choppy seas off of the North Maluku province and North Sulawesi province. Both areas are well-known for their marine resources.
Illegal fishing costs the vast archipelagic nation around US$25 billion a year, officials said.
The country has vowed to tackle the illegal activity with hard-line action and has blown up over 20 foreign fishing vessels caught in Indonesia since 2014.
Earlier this year, Indonesia and the United States announced a partnership programme to improve marine law enforcement and cut down illegal fishing.
Instead of blowing the boats up, authorities sunk the vessels by making holes in them, as police said bombing the boats damaged the environment.
Source: News Agencies
