Sri Lankan boat was seized with tonne of fish

A Sri Lankan vessel caught illegally fishing in Maldivian territorial waters last week was carrying about a tonne of fish, the coastguard told the press Tuesday.

The illegal catch was mostly shark, said Brigadier General Ali Zuhair, the coastguard’s commander.

As nets and fishing equipment were found, “we have no reason to believe that the boat had entered Maldivian waters for any purpose other than fishing,” he said at the press briefing.

Shark fishing was banned in the Maldives in 2010.

The Oshadi 1 boat was seized by the coastguard on December 19. It was spotted by a local fishing boat 42 nautical miles southwest of the Gadhdhoo island in the southern Gaaf Dhaal atoll.

There were six crew members on board, all of whom were transferred to police custody.