MORE NEWS, NUEVA VIZCAYA

6 foreign fishermen nabbed for poaching

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Six more foreign fishermen aboard a Taiwanese vessel were accosted by the government’s anti-poaching task force off Batanes last week, reports said.

Earlier, another foreign vessel with 12 people on board was also intercepted by government operatives off the coast of Santa Ana town in northernmost Cagayan.

The latest apprehension netted three Taiwanese, three Chinese and two Filipinos on board the Ching Hong Cheng.

Task force operatives led by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were patrolling off Calayan Island town early morning Mazy 15 when they noticed a suspicious blip on their radar, which turned out to be the Taiwanese vessel.

Reports said the task force fired warning shots when the vessel tried to flee.

The task force earlier intercepted another Taiwanese vessel, the Tz Fu Tien, and arrested two Taiwanese and 10 Indonesians on board for poaching, illegal fishing and other violations of the Fisheries Code of the Philippines.

Last month, 26 foreign fishermen on board four fishing vessels were caught off Cagayan and Batanes. – CL