Fishmen in Kep Province said yesterday that numerous Vietnamese fishing boats have been crossing into Cambodian waters illegally to fish.

Prak San, a representative for the Angkor fishery community in Kep’s Damnak Changaur district, said that Vietnamese fishermen had used illegal fishing methods in Cambodian waters, which he said could threaten biodiversity.

Local fishermen claim they patrolled the area with fisheries administration officials and found 40 Vietnamese fishing boats and confiscated about 2,000 metres of fishing nets, 1,000 metres of electrical wiring and 1,700 crab traps.