QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuadorean authorities say they have seized 357 dead sharks from a boat that was fishing illegally in the protected waters of the Galapagos Islands national park.

The government news agency says criminal proceedings will be pursued against the crew of the Ecuadorean fishing boat. The report says the boat was detained Tuesday southeast of Genovesa island inside the marine reserve.

The Galapagos area has been a United Nations natural heritage site since 1979 because of its unique marine and land species. It is prohibited to catch, sell or transport sharks in the reserve.