Stun grenades stop poachers

2004-03-19 15:24

Cape Town - Armed fisheries officials used stun grenades during the chase and capture of two Asian fishing boats poaching off the coast of Mozambique last week, the department of environmental affairs said on Friday.

The two boats - one registered in Indonesia and the other in China - were caught separately by a joint South African-Mozambican team from the SA patrol vessel Eagle Star.

According to the department, which provided details of the arrests at a media briefing in Cape Town, the two boats were fishing illegally in Mozambican waters.

"The Eagle Star (was) on a joint enforcement exercise with Mozambican officials as part of a monitoring, control and surveillance programme managed by the Southern African Development Community.

"The first vessel, an Indonesian-registered vessel, the Sin Iu Peng, was detected on March 11, and disobeyed repeated requests from the Mozambican fisheries officials to stop for boarding and inspection.

"An inflatable (dinghy) from the Eagle Star with an armed contingent of South African and Mozambican fisheries officers were denied boarding.

"A stun grenade was thrown onboard the Sin Iu Peng to ensure access of the South African and Mozambican fisheries officers," the department said in a statement.

It said "kilometres" of small mesh gill nets were found on the Sin Iu Peng.

Two more fishing boats were detected, and on March 13 the Eagle Star steamed towards the southernmost of these, the Nong Jyl Lih, a Chinese-registered vessel.

"As the vessel tried to flee and altered course... repeated attempts were made to contact (it). Requests to stand by for boarding and inspection were ignored.

"Two stun grenades were thrown at the deck, but the vessel kept steaming... finally, one of the South African inspectors jumped from the rubber duck onto the stern of the Nong Jyl Lih and tied a rope ladder to the stern."

Three more inspectors followed, who then succeeded in stopping the vessel.

The department said large-mesh demersal gill nets were found on board the vessel, as well as a cargo of sharks, "mostly giant guitar fish, a species under serious threat".

Confiscated fish from both vessels was estimated to be worth about R2m, while the arrested vessels are worth about R7m each.

"The successful apprehension of these vessels sends a strong deterrent signal to all potential poachers of fish stocks, and indicates the commitment of both South Africa and Mozambique to enforce compliance with their respective marine laws and to protect fish stocks," the department said.

- SAPA