Four DR Men Arrested for Alleged Poaching, detected about Seven miles South of Salt Cay

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, March 3, 2022 – At least four men on a vessel originating in the Dominican Republic were arrested on Wednesday by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources Management for poaching at Great Sand Cay.

Acting swiftly on intelligence, the Fisheries in south Caicos managed to intercept the vessel before the crew could start poaching from Turks and Caicos waters.

The crew of patrol vessel Hammerhead seized the vessel. The department reportedly retrieved GPS and satellite phones from the crew of the captured boat.

The group was also said to be in possession of spear guns and a compressor, both outlawed as fishing apparatus in the Turks and Caicos.  The alleged poachers were picked up in a small vessel, named:  NAIONIE.

The four men are in custody in Grand Turk, where they are being held by the police, but there is no word yet on what charges they will be facing.

This latest incident underscores the need for the Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic to quickly resolve the issue of the territorial waters belonging to each nation.

Great Sand Cay or Big Sand Cay is located about seven miles south of Salt Cay.