As reported in Friday’s DR1 News, two Korean boats, part of the Korea Dominican Fisheries, were seized and fined nearly RD$2 million. Twenty-nine officers and crew were arrested and are being held until the fines are paid. The Caonabo I and the Enriquillo I were found to be fishing in Dominican waters without permits and were taken into custody by the Dominican Navy at the behest of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources. The boats had caught 16 tons of fish and shellfish. The issue has created a debate between two governmental agencies, the Ministry for the Environment and the Cooperative Institute for Development and Credit (Idecoop). Idecoop and the Korea Dominican Fisheries were working on a new pilot program to promote a fishing industry for the Dominican Republic. The plan did not include any fishing in territorial waters. Nevertheless, the commodore of the Nautical Club of Santo Domingo, Armando D’Alessandro, denounced the fact that they were sweeping territorial waters between Cabeza de Toro and Bavaro with a type of net that is prohibited and had already caused irreparable damage to the ecosystem.