A traditional owner in Western Australia's Kimberley says he is frustrated fishermen on board illegal foreign fishing vessels found in the region earlier this month are yet to face any criminal charges.

On August 5, Dambimangari man Adrian Lane was conducting monitoring work in mangroves in the Kuri Bay area, about 370 kilometres north-east of Broome, when he came across and reported the sighting of a foreign fishing vessel.

The following day, Mr Lane and Kimberley tourism operator Peter Tucker led Australian maritime officials to the site and found three other boats.

Three of the four vessels were seized and destroyed at sea, with the fourth vessel transported out of Australia's fishing zone with 13 fishers on board.

A further 20 men were brought to the mainland pending an investigation by the Australian Maritime Authority.

Mr Lane said he was disappointed to hear some of the men had avoided criminal charges and that the remaining 20 were yet to be penalised.

He said he believed many of the fishermen were taking risks to put food on the table, but there had to be something done given the threat to country.

"We know that the people are doing illegal fishing and doing what they're doing to the reefs and stuff, and the impact that they're having on the country," Mr Lane said.

An Australian Fisheries Management Authority [AFMA] spokesperson said the 20 men will remain in Australian Border Force [ABF] detention as it investigates.

They said charges would not be laid until the investigations were complete, and AFMA and the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions were satisfied there was sufficient evidence to support offences under the Fisheries Management Act 1991.

"Should this be the case, the fishers will be charged, and these matters will be heard in the Darwin Court," the spokesperson said.

Over the past three years, illegal fishing activities by Indonesian vessels had increased to a rate not seen for over 18 years, according to the ABF.

Sixty-five vessels were sighted on 30 October 2023, which exceeded the previous daily record.

Rubbish and ants

Mr Lane said the illegal crews left a large amount of litter behind in the mangroves, some of which had ants inside.

In other states, foreign ant infestations have wreaked havoc on communities and natural environments, something Mr Lane fears could happen on his traditional lands.

He said he went back to the site alongside other family members and was disappointed authorities had done nothing to clean the area.

"All tied up, all the gear that they left behind after we apprehended them, and we found all the stuff going on, like insects, like ants inside the bag."

Mr Lane has previously raised the fact he believes authorities need to do more to communicate with regional communities and leverage local knowledge for border protection.

He said there should also be a system in place to ensure the area was cleaned.

"When you go back to some of these places where there's been this sort of illegal stuff going on, you have to do a clean," he said.

"We would be crucified for [leaving rubbish]."

ABF says current approach "strong"

An Australian Border Force spokesperson defended their "strong enforcement action" to illegal foreign fishing vessels.

"We believe the actions we are taking, particularly the seizure of their catch, equipment and destruction of their fishing boats is a very strong deterrent," the spokesperson said.

They said the ABF had increased aerial, land and sea surveillance, including deployment of more Australian Defence Force and ABF vessels in response to increasing boats.

The spokesperson acknowledged the role of members of the public, stating it was important for authorities to stay engaged with communities, particularly in the north-west of WA.