Taiwan fishing boat, crew return after caught poaching by Japan

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) A Taiwanese fishing boat and its crew that had been detained by Japan's Coast Guard since Sunday for poaching in Japanese waters returned to Taiwan early Wednesday after paying a fine.

The Yilan-registered "Fu Shen" fishing vessel and eight Taiwanese crew members were greeted by Suao Fishermen's Association director Chen Chun-sheng (陳春生) at Nanfang'ao Fishing Port when they arrived a little after 1 a.m.

The fishing vessel was intercepted by a Japan Coast Guard vessel at 4:10 p.m. on Sunday and accused of illegally operating within Japan's territorial waters near Yonaguni Island, in a location around 5 nautical miles beyond where Taiwan's fishing boats are allowed to operate.

After an on-board inspection, the vessel was seized by Japan's Coast Guard and taken to Japan's Ishigaki Island, where the crew was questioned.

The boat and the crew were released on Tuesday morning after the skipper's family paid a fine of 1.5 million Japanese yen (US$9,779) on Monday under the terms of a deal made between Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Fisheries Agency and the Japanese side.

The incident was the second time in July that a Taiwanese fishing vessel had been fined by Japanese authorities for illegally operating in Japan's territorial waters.

On July 5, a Keelung-registered fishing vessel, the "Fu Yang No. 266," was intercepted by a Japanese Fisheries Agency vessel under suspicion of operating near Amami Oshima and was later required to pay a fine of 6 million Japanese yen.