Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa McKenzie | Members of a boarding team from USCGC Kukui conduct an at-sea boarding of a fishing...... read more read more
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Plowing through the Pacific Ocean at 14 mph, a black-hulled Coast Guard cutter and her crew sail toward a fishing vessel bobbing on the horizon. The cutter releases a small boat from her starboard side: seven people aboard the 24-foot boat race toward the fishing vessel, carefully maneuvering the fishing gear trailing a mile behind them.
One by one, Coasties dressed in blue coveralls and armored vests carrying side arms and wearing tactical belts similar to police officers scramble up a jacob’s ladder draped over the hull of a purse seiner at sea.
“Good morning,” says Petty Officer 2nd Class Ellis Thorne, a boarding officer from USCGC Kukui, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu. “I’m Officer Thorne with the United States Coast Guard. I’m here to ensure you’re in compliance with all applicable federal laws and regulations.”
And so begins the boarding. Five boarding team members walk the decks entering each space, inspecting equipment, sifting through documents, speaking to crewmembers, testing alarms and checking fish.
The Western and Central Pacific Ocean is home to the “tuna belt” and supplies approximately 60 percent of the global tuna supply, which is worth an estimated $7 billion a year. With more than 5,600 fishing vessels registered with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, there are serious concerns about the sustainability of fish stocks. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing presents a significant threat to the multi-national fishing fleets that operate in the region. During each fisheries patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard is protecting the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone from foreign fishing vessel encroachment, enforcing domestic living marine resources laws, and ensuring compliance with international agreements.
These patrols are conducted in support of the Coast Guard’s Ocean Guardian Strategy, seeking to protect the living marine resources and the U.S. exclusive economic zone from foreign encroachment, enforcing domestic fisheries laws and enforcing international fisheries agreements.
“One of the biggest reasons we conduct this type of mission is to support the long term conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks through enforcement of international agreements,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brendan Harris, commanding officer of the Kukui. “Fisheries is a huge economic driver for many Pacific Island countries. By enforcing the regulations that preserve and protect our shared marine resources, we foster economic prosperity today and ensure thriving oceans for future generations.”
In the 14th District, the service uses its buoy tender fleet of three cutters to conduct fisheries enforcement and exercise nine bilateral shiprider agreements allowing Coast Guard cutters to help partner nations patrol their EEZs with a host country law enforcement officer enforcing the host nation’s laws.
Fish stocks are a renewable resource if managed correctly and not overfished. More importantly, fish stocks are a global food source and provide economic stability for many countries. In the U.S. alone, the fishing industry employs 1.3 million people and contributes $199 billion per year to the U.S. economy, according to NOAA’s 2012 Economic Report. Many Pacific Island Nations rely on the fishing industry for revenue and sustenance. Depleted fish stocks could contribute to the destabilization of the region and leave small nations vulnerable to dangerous transnational organized crime networks.
“The Western and Central Pacific Ocean is home to some of the world’s most abundant and lucrative fishery sources,” said Cmdr. Richard Howes, chief of enforcement Coast Guard 14th District response division. “These fisheries provide a major economic engine for many of the Pacific Island Nations as well as providing for over half of the total global tuna catch. Our efforts are multi-faceted providing enforcement capacity to ensure international regulations are being adhered to by all fishermen as well as providing safety to mariners and stewardship of the ocean.”
The Coast Guard is an important partner in fisheries management as the U.S.’s at-sea enforcement agency and responsible fisheries management is vital to our nation’s wellbeing, prosperity and security.
| Date Taken: | 05.18.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 05.18.2016 20:59 |
| Story ID: | 198494 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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