…As Indonesia sinks 40 foreign boats in illegal fishing crackdown***
Customs officers of north China’s Tianjin Municipality on Tuesday intercepted 63 ivory items weighing 5.3 kg, the customs said.
Three crew members of a ship at the Tianjin Port were suspected of smuggling ivory products, with one under coercive measures. Customs says further investigation is underway.
The Chinese government suspended imports of ivory and all ivory products in 2015, and ended commercial processing and sales of ivory at the end of 2017 as part of its commitment to protecting wild animals.
Meanwhile, Indonesia has sunk 40 foreign boats in the past two days, as part of a crackdown on illegal fishing, the country’s fisheries ministry said on Monday.
The boats mostly from Vietnam were scuttled on Sunday and Monday in four locations, the Marine Resources and Fisheries Ministry said in a statement.
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The boat owners were found guilty by the country’s maritime courts of operating illegally in Indonesian waters, it added.
Under the leadership of Susi Pudjiastuti, the ministry has destroyed at least 556 foreign fishing vessels since 2014.
“With so many large fishing boats with destructive catching equipment, our marine resources could [be] depleted soon,’’ Susi said in a statement.
“It’s time we secured our resources and ensured that they continue to exist in abundance for the sake of our future grandchildren,’’ she added.
– Xinhua