Pacific nations detain Chinese, Indonesian boats for illegal fishing

Pacific island authorities detained several Chinese and Indonesian fishing vessels this month as part of a wider crackdown on illegal fishing, officials told AFP. The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) said four boats were held or taken to port in Kiribati, Palau and Papua New Guinea for illegal fishing or breaches of fishing licences. The surveillance operation involved 11 island nations boarding more than 100 vessels across 28 million square kilometres of ocean between August 3 and 14. The FFA said tuna in the region provides US$500 million in access fees and US$1.2 billion in export earnings annually, supporting livelihoods for a third of Pacific households.