A foreign vessel has been detained, its crew suspected of fishing illegally in the Arafura Sea, in an interception by The Australian Border Force (ABF) as part of the ongoing Operation Lunar crackdown.
A patrol intercepted the vessel near the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (AEEZ) boundary, north of the Wessel Islands in the Northern Territory. A boarding party identified evidence of suspected fisheries offences and seized 100kg of fresh and dry reef fish, and roe.
Following consultation with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), the vessel was seized and its crew detained.
The crew have been transported to Darwin for further investigation by AFMA in relation to suspected offences against the Fisheries Management Act 1991.
‘Illegal foreign fishing activity can fluctuate, but our resolve does not. We continue to patrol, detect and act wherever illegal fishing occurs across Australia’s northern maritime approaches,’ said Deputy Commander Maritime Border Command Natasha O’Farrell.
‘Those who enter Australian waters to fish illegally risk losing their catch, their equipment and their vessel, and they may face prosecution.’
Operation Lunar is an ABF-led multi-agency operation targeting illegal foreign fishing in waters off the NT coastline, and this latest apprehension occurred well offshore.
