According to Victor Remengasau, Navigation Officer of Remeliik, they apprehended the boat on September 17 at 6:00 p.m. in the southwest of Koror and northwest of Puloanna. The light fishing boat, which is part of a group for purse seine fleet, is from General Santos City, Philippines.
The information revealed by the Marine Law Enforcement office was limited because the three crew onboard the boat are still under detention while the commanding officers of Remeliik are preparing the report.
After their initial investigations, they will turn over the report to the Attorney General’s Office.
“We are still verifying the ownership of the boat,” Remengasau said in an interview.
The four previous apprehended boats and their crew from the Philippines were allowed to go already home. “They all admitted guilt and agreed to the settlement proposed by the Attorney General’s Office,” Ellender Ngirameketii, Chief of Division of Marine Law Enforcement, said.
For this year alone, Remeliik has apprehended five illegal fishing vessels from the Philippines and one from Indonesia.
“With the closure of high seas areas to fishing and the implementation of Conservation and Management Measures of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, we are anticipating more illegal fishing to take place in Palau waters,” Ngirameketii added.
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