Owners hide trawlers from police

Owners hide trawlers from police

MEDAN: Seven entrepreneurs have hidden their trawlers in a
secluded islet in the Malacca Straight to evade police raids on
banned fishing equipment.

They stopped operations last week following repeated press
reports saying they were defying government bans, Antara
reported.

The government banned trawlers in early 1980s because their
sophisticated equipment caught fish indiscriminately and
threatened traditional fishermen's livelihoods.

Quoting reliable sources, Antara said at least 340 trawlers
were poaching along the western coast of North Sumatra until last
week.

Traditional fishermen, angered by the illegal trawlers, have
occasionally engaged in physical clashes with trawler crews.
(pan)