A Taiwanese fishing boat has been detained by Solomon Islands authorities since June 19 for alleged violation of local fishing regulations, Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency confirmed Monday.
The fishing boat, which paid a fee to the Solomon Islands to gain access to fish in the Pacific country’s exclusive economic zone, was asked to harbor in the country because signals of the boat’s vessel monitoring system (VMS) could not be detected as required, the agency said.
Fishing boats that pay to gain access to the Solomon Islands’ waters are required to have working vessel monitoring systems, so that the country can keep track of how its fishing resources are used, the agency told CNA.
The agency said it later learned that the signals of the detained boat’s VMS were not detected because another boat’s VMS was mistakenly placed on the boat. The detained vessel is from Pingtung County, southern Taiwan.
Its VMS was sent to a repair company for maintenance, but the company mistakenly gave back another boat’s VMS, the agency said.
Solomon authorities meanwhile are investigating the case.
The Taiwanese skipper and nine crewmembers from Indonesia remain in the Solomon Islands, pending the investigation, the agency added.
The Central News Agency