Foreign trawlers caught out
2006-05-05 13:33
Lisbon - The government of Guinea-Bissau has impounded ten foreign trawlers, caught fishing illegally in its territorial waters.
Guinea-Bissau's fisheries minister, Abdu Mane, said the ships include vessels registered in China, South Korea and several European Union nations.
He was quoted by Portugal's Lusa news agency.
Mane said the vessels were operating within the country's exclusive economic zone, defined as the waters within 200 nautical miles from its coast.
About 40 000 tons of fish are illegally taken from Guinea-Bissau's waters each year, according to a recent study commissioned by the country's government.
The study pointed to a lack of enforcement resources.
The EU donated €5m (about R33m) to Guinea-Bissau earlier this year, in an effort to help boost its maritime inspection capacities.
Mane said fisheries taxes account for 45% of Guinea-Bissau's revenues.
Guinea-Bissau, wedged between Senegal to the north and Guinea to the east and south on the Atlantic coast, has an average per capita income of $140, making it one of the world's poorest nations.
- AFP