The Republic of Congo has banned 69 Chinese fishing boats from its waters for illicit activities, Fisheries Minister Dieudonne Kiessiekiaoua said Friday.

"These boats are suspended until further notice from industrial fishing in Congolese territorial waters, because of a failure to respect the laws and regulations in force," Kiessiekiaoua told AFP.

The banned boats, which belong to three Chinese companies named as Lulu, Rong Chang and Huayi Jinri, were fishing in a prohibited zone up to six nautical miles offshore, which is set aside for reproduction and renewal of fish stocks.

In August, Kiessiekiaoua said that Congo had acquired a satellite surveillance system to watch over boats and better control its waters. The central African country also recently banned fishing with explosives and with fine-meshed nets.