Salome Toby has lived in the Torres Strait Islands her whole life, but on Friday she saw something she’d never seen before. She was flying home to Boigu Island, Australia’s northernmost inhabited island, when she spotted something unusual out of the plane’s window.
The sea below was dotted with tiny vessels. Observing the long, narrow shape, she immediately knew they were foreign fishing boats illegally fishing in Australian waters.
“We thought it was island boats, but when I zoomed in, I saw that it was a different sort of boat,” Salome told Yahoo News.
“We were so shocked and scared. There were so many.”
Despite being an Australian Territory, Boigu Island is located just six kilometres from Papua New Guinea. 30km to the south is Turnagain island, an uninhabited island where the foreign boats were situated.
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Multiple vessels could be seen near Turnagain Island. Source: Salome Toby
“Never in my life have I seen those boats in our waters,” Salome said, adding that it made her worry for the safety of her community.
“Everybody on the island is a bit shocked that there are so many.”
She said more needs to be done, and noted border force vessels only make an appearance “three or four” times a year.
Salome isn’t the only resident to spot the foreign vessels close to shore.
Other photos published online over the weekend show more boats in shallow waters and one even beached on Mabuiag Island, about 45km south of Turnagain Island.
Council demands answers from authorities
Addressing the undetected foreign vessels on Sunday night, Torres Shire Council said it was “gravely concerned” for the “safety and security” of its residents.
“When a foreign vessel can get within 100 metres of the mainland, people quite naturally begin to worry about what else may be entering our waters undetected. This creates very real safety and security concerns for local families,” the council said.
“Our community continues to be put in the position of monitoring Australia’s international borders. This is obviously not enough to secure the nation, especially when they have no authority to detain while waiting for federal officials to arrive.
“The fact that our waters still contain multiple gaps where foreign nationals continue to cross into Australian waters undetected is deeply troubling for our region and should be for all Australians.”
The council went on to “demand a briefing” from authorities, adding their goal is to ensure the safety of the Torres Strait Island people and to protect the fisheries from exploitation.
Mayor Elsie Seriat said residents have been contacting her asking why the boats are not being intercepted.
“I find these incidents extremely worrying for our region and will be pursuing answers at every level,” she said.
A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs told Yahoo News that Border Force is aware of the reports coming out of the Torres Strait Islands.
“While operations are ongoing, we cannot comment further,” they said.
“We appreciate and encourage the community to report any suspicious activity to Border Watch.“
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