A total of 81 Yemeni fishermen, detained by Eritrean authorities for nearly a year and half, have been released, the Yemeni government said Thursday.

In a statement carried by Yemeni official Saba news agency, the government said that the fishermen arrived in Yemen's Red Sea port city of al-Hodayda on Thursday night.

Another 519 Yemeni fishermen are still jailed in Eritrean and diplomatic efforts to secure their release are underway, the Yemeni government said.

Eritrean authorities reportedly arrested the Yemeni fishermen in 2012 on grounds of illegal fishing in its waters.

However, Yemeni officials said a 1995 agreement with the African country allows the two neighbors to share fishing waters in the Red Sea.

Relations between Sanaa and Asmara were recently strained over a festering territorial waters row.