Eleven fisherman have been detained after they were caught fishing illegally in restricted areas of Pursat province’s Bakan district.

District fishery administration chief Chin Chanthorn said yesterday that the suspects were sent to provincial court on Saturday, following their arrest two days before.

“If the court finds them guilty, they will be sentenced to one to three years in prison,” he said.

It was not the first time the group had fished illegally in off-limits zones, Chanthorn said, adding that the 11 had “committed the crimes as a group.”

When patrolling fishery administration officials caught the suspects, the fishermen were using an illegal 400-metre-long net, which officials seized along with two large motorised boats, he said.

Late last month, police arrested 57 fishermen, and seized 16 boats and banned equipment in a crackdown in Siem Reap province.