Two Sri Lanka Boats Boarded for Illegal Fishing in Mauritian Waters

It is at sunrise, Saturday, Feb. 23, the patrol Malagasy Atsantsa, initiated by the Regional Plan for fisheries monitoring (PRSP) of IOC, has done this. Both vessels were boarded on the bench while Nazareth nets several kilometers long were being raised on the bench of Nazareth, the statement of the IOC. In this area Mauritian extremely rich in fish, fishermen illegally taken tunas, swordfish, groundfish, dolphins sharks but they only keep the fins.

" This transaction demonstrates the commitment of the IOC in the fight against illegal fishing in the region and the effectiveness of the regional coordinating it. The PRSP is being implemented since 2007 through a financial partnership signed between the IOC and the European Union , "said the IOC, which coordinated its 33rd mission.

" Since the launch of the PRSP, hundreds of ships were inspected at sea and many of them serious offenses were detained in Madagascar, the Seychelles and Mauritius. The use of efficient means such as radar satellites but also the experience of the regional teams and control the permanent exchange of information between the Member States of the IOC allow the device to be very effective today , " explains Xavier Nicolas, coordinator of the PRSP.

IOC adds that the patrol Atsantsa under the Ministry of Fisheries of Madagascar, is based in Mahajanga in the northwest of the country.Built in 2007 at the shipyard of the Indian Ocean Port Louis, this is a modern patrol vessels predator illegal. He sailed from its home port on 15 February on a mission for several weeks. It has already carried out inspections in the Comoros and the Seychelles before entering last weekend in Mauritian waters in the region of Agalega. On board is a team of inspectors of fisheries administrations Comoros, Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles, the security features of the gendarmerie Malagasy and Mauritian coast guard. It was under his escort the convoy is now way to Port-Louis, where he is expected on Thursday afternoon. "Both vessels will then be given to intercepted Mauritian authorities" , said the IOC.

Jean Claude Estrac the General Secretary of the IOC, currently serving in Zambia, welcomed the result. 

 " Far from their country in silence or in the storms of the Indian Ocean, and ensure crews are working to monitor fisheries policy for the economy of Member States. Tens of thousands of jobs depend on fishing in our region and the industry that we want sustainable, contributes to the richness of our island economies such as food security of a large portion of the population our country . "