"We are proud as Cook Islanders to provide our entire exclusiveeconomiczone... as a shark sanctuary, " said Teina Bishop, Cook Islands minister of marine resources.
Coast Guard official Yasuhiko Oku said the captain had admitted being inside Japan's exclusiveeconomiczone when he was stopped on Saturday, the Associated Press reports.
Japanese coastguards have detained a Chinese boat for allegedly fishing in a Japanese exclusiveeconomiczone illegally, officials say, amid an ongoing row over disputed islands.
Reiterating their claims to reserves located in the exclusiveeconomiczone, the Cypriot government dismissed the warnings from Ankara, stating that they would continue to pursue development agreements, according to a Platts report.