Australia's flagship patrol boat armed with a deck-mounted machinegun -- fired warning shots after one of four foreign fishing boats it apprehended in northern waters failed to stop when ordered. Authorities seized 15 tonnes of fish from the vessels. Ellison said Australia was concerned about a deadly outbreak of bird flu in Asia and, while there had been cases of illegal fishermen coming ashore in Australia's remote north, they were rare and dealt with quickly to ensure no quarantine breaches. "In relation to reports that illegal fishermen have come ashore with monkeys and animals and birds, can I say our evidence demonstrates that this has not been the case," he told reporters. "There have been some cases where some dogs have been sighted on vessels. But in any case where an animal is on vessel, that animal is destroyed. There are strict quarantine provisions." The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has killed more than 60 people in four Asian countries, including Indonesia, since late 2003 and has been found in birds in Russia and Europe.
