Chinese fishing boat fined after trying to fish in Taiwan's waters

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) A Chinese fishing boat was ordered to leave Thursday after attempting to poach in Taiwan's waters and paying a fine of NT$1.6 million (NT$51,950), the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Friday.

The Chinese fishing ship was spotted preparing to fish illegally 25 nautical miles off the coast of Hsinchu in northern Taiwan on Dec. 3, 2018, before being seized by CGA officers, the CGA said in a statement.

No fish were found on the boat, but personnel from the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine disinfected the boat after discovering 4.8 kilograms of pork in the freezer on board the vessel, it said.

The pork was sealed off inside the freezer to prevent the African swine fever from entering Taiwan at a time when the infectious disease that is lethal to pigs is spreading in China, the CGA said.

Following a 40-day investigation, it was determined that the Chinese fishing boat should pay the fine for trying to poach in Taiwan in line with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area before leaving the country, a CGA spokesman said.

It was escorted by CGA vessels out of Taiwan's waters Thursday, he said.