3 Taiwanese boats caught poaching off Camiguin

Authorities seized three Taiwanese fishing boats and detained their 25 crewmen from Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and China after catching them poaching in Philippine waters, the Coast Cuard said yesterday.

One of the vessels, FB Fong Long Nr 17, was found fishing illegally off Camiguin, a Philippine Coast Guard statement said.

The boat had two Taiwanese, three Filipinos and three Indonesian crewmen on board.

On Monday, two other Taiwanese vessels — FB Fong Long Nr 11 and FB World Marine B2 — were caught near Isabela. The crewmen of the two boats included six Taiwanese, five Filipinos, four Indonesians and two Chinese.

Commodore Wilfredo Tamayo, Coast Guard operations chief, said the crewmen of the Taiwanese fishing boats will be charged with poaching, with the foreigners to be turned over to the Bureau of Immigration because they have no work permits.

The boats will be towed to the nearest naval facility and impounded, he said.

It wasn’t immediately clear if all three boats were operated by the same company. Authorities were investigating.

Fish found on the boats included bluefin tuna, which commands a high price in other countries, Tamayo said. There was no immediate estimate of the catch’s value.

The Coast Guard estimates that the Philippines loses about P10 billion a year to poaching and illegal gathering or destruction of corals. — AP