Fisheries Act Article 49

The competent authority may dispatch personnel to any fishing vessel, fishing ground of fishing right fishery, on shore fish farm, or other relevant site(s) of any fishery operator to inspect the catch, fishing gear(s), account book(s), and other object(s), as well as to question any relevant party. The Coast Guard Administration may, pursuant to its mandate, dispatch personnel to any fishing vessel of a fishery operator for inspection and questioning any relevant party. The relevant party shall not evade, obstruct, or refuse.In carrying out the inspection as referred to in the preceding paragraph, where any offense of fisheries crime is found whereas it is unable to request in time the judicial authority to conduct search or seizure, the concerned fishing vessel, catch, or other object(s) sufficient to prove the facts of crime may be provisionally detained. In case that any other violation of the provisions of this Act is found, the concerned catch, fishing gear(s), and other object(s) may be sealed.The provisional detention or seal conducted in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall be witnessed by any person in charge of the fishing vessel or the site or any civil servant. An inventory shall be made in respect of the object(s) being provisionally detained or sealed.After the provisional detention conducted pursuant to paragraph 2, the competent authority or the Coast Guard Administration shall immediately contact the judicial authority for search or seizure and deliver the object(s) provisionally detained.In carrying out the inspection, the personnel as referred to in paragraph 1 shall present his/her identification document and the authorization specifying the scope of inspection. In case that such personnel fail to do so, any person being inspected may refuse such inspection.