Three suspected perlemoen poaches were arrested and a rigid rubber duck seized by police and other law enforcement officials near the Coega Harbour on Tuesday.
Tom Schwartz of the Tactical Task Force in Nelson Mandela Bay told AlgoaFM news that his unit, police, Sanparks and The Department of Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) officials seized the rubber duck as its pilot beached the craft between Coega and Bluewater Bay beach on Tuesday morning.
The suspected perlemoen poacher in his 40's was arrested moments later as he fled into nearby bushes.
Swartz says two accomplices who had been left stranded on Bird Island made a swim for it, but were arrested as they reached dry land in the afternoon after a treacherous crossing of roughly one and a half kilometres.
They'll all appear in court soon on a host of poaching-related charges.
Schwartz said the rigid inflatable seized during the operation brought to six the number of craft confiscated by law enforcement officers in the past month.
The value of the six craft has been put at approximately R1.35 million.
