The Jamaica Defence Force detained Jamaican and Dominican Republic nationals and seized over thirteen thousand pounds of fish this week, in separate incidents.
82 people were detained on Wednesday, and their vessels sized.
This is the third set of fishermen to be detained in the past week.
The JDF says the estimated value of all three seizures of fish is approximately $16. 5 m dollars at a weight of over 33 thousand pounds.
The JDF says on Wednesday April 5, the second time in just over a week, the coast guard intercepted illegal poachers in Jamaican waters.
Reports are that a team from the coast guard on board one of the newly acquired offshore patrol vessels was conducting routine patrols in a vicinity south of the Pedro Cays.
The team spotted a suspicious vessel in the area and signalled them to halt, before carrying out a boarding and search.
59 Dominican Republic nationals were found on board and over 7675 pounds of fish in storage. All 59 men were detained and the vessel seized and towed to the JDF coast guard base at Cagway in Port Royal.
Within hours of intercepting that first vessel, theJDF coast guard team was alerted to a second fishing vessel in the area.
This second boat was experiencing mechanical difficulties and upon boarding it to carry out repairs and an inspection, 23 Jamaicans and over 5480 pounds of fish were discovered.
None of the men was in possession of a fishing license, resulting in their detention and seizure of their boat. They were also escorted back to the coast guard base for arrest and processing.
The JDF says this week’s interdiction brings to 114, the number of illegal fishermen caught in Jamaican waters in just over a week.
On Sunday, March 26, 32 fishermen from the Dominican Republic were caught about 120 miles south of Jamaica and close to the Pedro Cays.
According to civil military cooperation officer for the JDF Major Basil Jarrett, these arrests are nothing new.
He also pointed to the presence of the newly acquired JDF boats as a significant factor in the force’s ability to track and interdict illegal fishermen.