Two fishing boats are reported to have been destroyed, seven seized and another seven stripped after sea patrols caught the craft fishing illegally in Australian waters.

The action comes after recent statements of concern in Australia over a rapid increase in boats raiding the country's waters from neighbouring countries to target sharks for the highly lucrative shark fins market.

According to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, seven foreign craft were escorted into Darwin and Gove in Arnhem Land, after being caught fishing illegally over the weekend of 3/4 December.

Three were caught off the Northern Territory coast, and four off the north coast of Western Australia and Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. The boats were carrying shark fins totalling 200kg in weight.

According to Ian Macdonald, Federal Fisheries Minister, two illegal fishing boats were destroyed at sea. It is not clear whether this involved action by Australian sea patrols, or scuttling action by fishing crews.

Fishing equipment was seized from a further seven vessels, which were then released. These included canoes from Papua New Guinea found fishing in Australian parts of the Torres Strait.

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