A captain and his three-man crew were robbed of their fish by pirates armed with firearms early Sunday morning.

According to a police press release, Richard Mangal and his crew members were fishing in the vicinity of Crabwood, Waini River when they were attacked by four men armed with guns at about 7.30 am.

The gunmen, police said, in a vessel of their own, pulled up alongside Mangal’s boat and held him and his crew at gunpoint. Mangal and his crew were relieved of their fish and the pirates then escaped.