ILLEGAL FISHING RIFE ON N SULAWESI WATERS

Manado, June 13 (ANTARA) - Illegal fishing is ubiquitous on the waters of North Sulawesi province and the fish poaching has inflicted a loss of Rp462 billion to the state in 2008, a local official has said.
Many vessels carrying foreign flags have been committing illegal fishing and they are difficult to identify and apprehend, Head of the Provincial Maritime and Fishery Office, Xandramaya Lalu, said here Thursday.
Potassium and cyanide bombs are frequently used to illegally catch fish and such unlawful activities are also found in the National Bunaken Marine Park causing damages to coral reefs and other sea biota, Lalu said.
"The government, the police and the navy have indeed found them difficult dealing with the illegal fishing due to the inadequate armada for sea patrols," Lalu said.
In 2007, the security authority managed to hold a number of pump boats which encroached the North Sulawesi waters without official documents.
As many as 230 boats have been arrested but only seven cases are now under process.
In 2008, 14 boats were arrested and seven of them were released as they were found innocent and the rest were brought to court.
About 33,000 boats are operating on the North Sulawesi waters. They consist of 15,692 traditional boats, 7,220 motorized boats and 659 motorboats.