Mainland returns captain of Taiwan's illegal fishing vessel after law-based penalty

BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The captain of a fishing vessel from Taiwan, which was seized by the mainland for illegal fishing in July, has returned to the island on Friday after receiving punitive measures imposed by relevant authorities in accordance with the law, said a Chinese mainland spokesperson.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry on the matter.

On July 2, the coast guard of Fujian Province seized the fishing vessel, which was suspected of illegally fishing in the no-fishing zone of waters off the province's city of Quanzhou during a fishing moratorium, Chen said.

Noting that the vessel's illegal operation had violated relevant laws and regulations, Chen said the law-enforcement actions taken by the mainland's coast guard and the law-based handling of the matter by relevant departments had effectively maintained the order in the fishing sector, safeguarded fishery resources and the ecological environment in relevant waters, and deterred illegal activities.