At least four illegal vessels have been intercepted by Australian maritime border protection authorities in the past 24 hours.
Authorities on Tuesday located four wooden boats hidden in the mangroves of Kuri Bay, about 370 kilometres northeast of Broome in Western Australia’s far north, with the help of locals.
Adrian Lane, a traditional owner of a Dambimangari village, was creating a cultural map of the local fisheries in the area when he first noticed the first boat “stranded and dry” in the mangroves.
Local tour operator Peter Tucker reported the illegal vessel and later met up with a patrol who led them to it.
“They appreciated our help, because they don’t know the country like we do, and we took them to the areas,” he said. ABC.
According to Mr Lane, there has been an increase in illegal fishing and the arrival of asylum-seeking boats in the Kimberley region in recent years.
Boats carrying asylum seekers have also arrived in Truscott and Beagle Bay in recent months.
Tucker said he has seen several boats hiding in “hideouts” over the past few months, but noted that groups often flee before authorities can arrive.
Four illegal timber boats (left) were seized by the Australian Border Force (right) on Tuesday morning
Local indigenous man Adrian Lane helped authorities locate four wooden boats hidden in the mangroves of Kuri Bay, about 370 kilometres northeast of Broome.
“We weren’t surprised (by the sightings) because we’d been seeing them for a while,” Tucker said. Western Australia.
‘Our reaction was one of certain joy because the authorities finally managed to help them, catch them and apprehend them.
“They have been quite common around the Kimberley coast this year and I guess today was a good day because they are coming down in large numbers.”
Mr Lane does not believe the Border Force is doing enough to stop illegal boats and is particularly concerned about their effect on “the health of the country”.
Locals reported an increase in illegal fishing and asylum seeker boats in the Kimberley region, but said groups often flee before authorities can arrive (pictured, ABF on Tuesday)
“We’re doing things out of passion for our country and our obligation to our culture, but we also have an agency that’s supposed to protect these areas of greatest value,” Lane told ABC.
“I don’t think they have a clue. They are just getting instructions from Canberra.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Australian Border Force for comment.
The interception comes a week after Tony Burke replaced Clare O’Neil as federal home secretary.