Six boats allegedly fishing illegally in one of Fiji's remote protected lagoons were commercial operators from Fiji, according to a commander involved in the operation.
HMNZS Taupo Photo: NZ Defence Force
A New Zealand navy patrol boat intercepted the vessels in Qelelevu Lagoon during New Zealand and Fiji's latest maritime surveillance operation in Fiji waters.
The catch was dumped and the alleged offenders ordered back to port.
The Commanding Officer of HMNZS Taupo, Lieutenant Ben Flight, said his vessel moved in after owners of the qoliqoli sent out an alert.
"It's a customary fishing area so it's owned and managed by effectively a local tribe which have ownership of that area and so they're interested in protecting it and making sure people that fish in that area have their permission as well as the government's permission to fish and so they're the ones who actually gave the information to the Fijian navy which passed it to us," Ben Flight said.
Lieutenant Flight said there's a good level of compliance among the foreign-flagged vessels his ship has checked over the last month in Fiji waters.
He said nearly 100 vessels had been intercepted ranging from small island transport vessels to large commercial fishing boats.
No illegal drugs had so far been found, he said.
The HMNZS Taupo, which has Fijian navy, fisheries and customs officers on board, is helping to patrol Fiji's Exclusive Economic Zone of more than 1.2 million square kilometres.
