Antilles-Guiana patrol vessel “La Confiance”, which re-routed a vessel to St. Martin after it was caught in the act of fishing illegally near St. Barths. Story on page .
MARIGOT--The French Navy patrol vessel La Confiance re-routed a vessel to St. Martin after it was caught in the act of fishing illegally near St. Barths on Wednesday.
The vessel was detected fishing in the French exclusive economic zone (EEZ). A flag investigation followed by an inspection of the vessel revealed several violations of the fisheries policy, including failure to present a registration certificate and a fishing licence. Some 72 kilos of fish were seized and white tip sharks, a species that is banned for fishing.
After contact with the National Fisheries Monitoring Centre and at the request of the Director of the Sea of Guadeloupe, the Commander of La Confiance re-routed the vessel to the port of Marigot to be taken into immediate charge by the Direction de la Mer.
The French Navy, along with the other administrations of State action at sea, participates in the fisheries policing policy in waters under French jurisdiction. The objective of the mission is to protect the fish reserve for the fishermen of St. Barths and St. Martin.
La Confiance, a latest-generation patrol boat based in Dégrad des Cannes, French Guiana, is currently conducting a mission in the Caribbean to strengthen the permanent arrangements under the authority of the Commander of the Armed Forces of the West Indies.
France is one of the only states in the world bordering all five oceans, with nearly 19,000 kilometres of coastline. Of the 10.2 million square kilometres of its exclusive economic zone, 97 per cent is located overseas. The protection of these areas is a priority in which the armed forces participate, in particular in the inter-ministerial and European framework of fishing missions.
