Hong Kong customs officials have arrested six people for allegedly attempting to smuggle Japanese seafood into mainland China.

The officials last Friday seized a fishing boat and apprehended its captain and five others.

China has kept in place a total suspensions of Japanese seafood imports since August 24, when the release of treated and diluted water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean began. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has its own export and import control system and allows imports from Japanese prefectures other than Fukushima and nine others.

The customs officials said the ship's cargo included Japanese seafood, vegetables and fruit, as well as goods from India. They said those goods were worth roughly four million Hong Kong dollars, or more than 500,000 US dollars.

The customs officials didn't give details on where and when the Japanese seafood was caught and the catch was landed.