Australia to prosecute Chinese fishing captains

SYDNEY, May 1 (Reuters) Australia will lay charges against the captains of two Chinese fishing vessels caught in Australian waters last month, the government said today.

The 31-metre vessels, each weighing about 123 tonnes, are much bigger than ramshackle Indonesian fishing boats typically seized in Australian waters for illegal fishing.

Australian officials have voiced concern that a new trend towards bigger, more sophisticated vessels may be emerging in illegal poaching in Australian waters.

Investigations showed that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with charges against the captains of the De Yuan Yu 001 and De Yuan Yu 002, Fisheries Minister Eric Abetz said.

The two captains face maximum penalties of A0,000 Australian dollars each under Australian fisheries legislation, as well as the loss of the vessels and their catch of about 55 tonnes of reef fish.

Both captains will also face charges for resisting apprehension and opposing boarding by Australian officers. The maximum penalty for these charges is two years imprisonment.

''If you are operating illegally in Australian waters, no matter who you are, you will be prosecuted with the full weight of Australian law,'' Abetz said in a statement.

Thirteen crew found on one vessel and 14 on the other, all Chinese nationals, are not being charged and will be repatriated.

China's Xinhua news service reported when the vessels were seized that they had been inadvertently carried into Australian waters by sea currents and wind.

REUTERS SHB HT1017