A Chinese fishing boat engaged in illegal fishing in waters near Socheong Island off Incheon was seized by the Korea Coast Guard on Thursday.
The Coast Guard said Friday that it had seized one Chinese fishing vessel for violating the Act on the Exercise of Sovereign Rights on Foreigners’ Fishing Within the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The 50-ton steel-hulled pair trawler is accused of illegally fishing after encroaching 8.3 kilometers (5.16 miles) into a restricted area at around 5 p.m. Thursday in waters 81.5 kilometers southwest of Socheong Island in Ongjin County, Incheon.
Pair trawling is a fishing method in which two boats maintain a certain distance while towing a net through the water at low speed. However, the vessel was alone at the time of the seizure, during which four people, including the captain in his 60s, were found on board with 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of mixed fish.
The Coast Guard, which detected the illegal fishing during an aerial patrol, deployed a patrol vessel to seize the Chinese boat and ordered 15 other Chinese fishing boats to leave the area.
The Coast Guard plans to escort the seized boat and its Chinese crew to the Incheon branch of the Coast Guard’s designated pier for further investigation into the circumstances of the illegal fishing.
“As the peak spring fishing season begins, we are fully prepared to block illegal Chinese fishing boats,” a Coast Guard official said.