Marine authorities have seized a record number of 109 foreign fishing boats this year, mainly from Thailand, Taiwan and China, a report said today.

The boats worth RM11 million were detained for various offences including entering and fishing in Malaysian waters illegally, said Abdullah Jaafar, an officer with the fisheries department.

"The seized boats will be tendered to local fishermen," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency after launching an operation to weed out illegal fishing by foreigners in Perak.

Last year 79 boats were seized and 800 fishermen were detained, he said. Courts imposed RM35 million worth of fines on those caught fishing illegally but many did not pay and served jail terms. AFP