Rat Infested Fishing Vessel Seized by Coast Guard

September 30, 2011|By Todd Walker | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Coast Guard has seized an illegal fishing vessel, infested with rats, from an unknown country that was caught illegally drift netting in high seas 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak.

An official with Customs and Border Protection identified the fishing vessel as the "Bangun Perkasa." Its country of origin is not clear.

The Coast Guard cutter "Midgett," is escorting the boat to Dutch Harbor, but because of the rats the boat will be anchored a few miles away from the island. As of 4:30 a.m. Friday morning the fishing vessel and Coast Guard cutter were 29 miles north of Adak. The Coast Guard expected the vessel to anchor near Dutch Harbor sometime Friday or Saturday.

The Coast Guard says it is working in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Council on this case.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Sara Francis said a Japanese fishing agency reported the vessel to the Coast Guard more than a week ago.

Once the crew spotted a Coast Guard helicopter, they abandoned their fishing net and tried to sail out of the area. Coast Guard officials intercepted the boat and boarded it. On board, Francis says, they found about 10 miles of drift nets, about 30 shark carcasses and 30 tons of squid.

The Coast Guard says the vessel is stateless, and Customs and Border Protection will be working to determine what countries the 22 fisherman on board are from. When originally questioned, Francis said, the boat identified themselves as from a country that they are not citizens of. What country that is was not immediately clear.

According to the Coast Guard, NOAA will be in charge of eradicating the rats on board which could take about a week. Customs and Border Protection will take the crew, process them and return them to their home country.

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement will investigate the case and forward their findings to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Large-scale high-seas drift net fishing kills massive amount of fish along with other marine life such as whales and turtles by using enormous nets spread out over miles of ocean. Many countries, including the U.S., are working to halt the practice.

This is a developing story, check back to KTUU.com throughout the day for more updates.

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