The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) found illegal crab traps in the Inner Harbour fairway on Wednesday and immediately joined the Macau Customs Service to remove the traps to ensure maritime safety, according to a DSAMA statement on Wednesday.
The statement said that the bureau’s Vessel Traffic Control Centre (VTS) received a report from a local resident on Wednesday morning about crew members of several vessels placing crab traps in the Inner Harbour fairway.
The bureau and Customs Service sent a number of vessels and staff members to deal with the situation. They removed the 1,500-metres of crab traps from the seabed, during which the customs vessels assisted in maintaining maritime traffic order at the scene, so that the removal of the traps did not impact navigation.
According to the statement, vessel crews in the past usually placed floats on top of their illegal fishing gear.
However, no such floats were discovered where the crab traps had been placed so that they were difficult to detect.
Therefore, the traps posed a potential danger to fishing boats as their fishing gear could get stuck in the crab traps, the statement said, adding that the bureau would join forces with the Customs Service in tackling illegal fishing and crabbing.
According to Macau’s maritime regulations, offenders may be fined up to 15,000 patacas for violating navigational safety as well as illegal fishing and the illegal placing of fishing gear in the city’s fairways or surrounding maritime areas.
In the event of an accident resulting from illegal fishing or the illegal placing of fishing gear, the offender faces criminal liability as well as payment of damages and an aggravated fine. The bureau urged vessels to strictly abide by Macau’s laws and regulations and not to engage in acts that affect the safety of navigation, according to the statement.
This undated handout photo provided by the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) shows DSAMA and Customs Service staff members removing illegal crab traps from the Inner Harbour fairway.
