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USCGC Sequoia (WLB 215) returns from 30-day Western, Central Pacific patrol

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa McKenzie | During a port visit in Pohnpei, Federate States of Micronesia, May 4, 2016, the crew...... read more read more

GUAM

05.26.2016

Courtesy Story

U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific

SANTA RITA, Guam — The USCGC Sequoia (WLB 215) crew returned home to Apra Harbor, Guam, May 8 after a 30-day patrol of the Western and Central Pacific to deter illegal fishing of highly migratory fish stocks such as tuna and build relationships with Pacific partners.

“Our mission was to promote regulatory compliance through our enforcement efforts of the $7 billion tuna fishing industry in the remote areas within Oceania,” said Lt. j.g John Tabb, the law enforcement officer aboard Sequoia. “We made an impact due in large part to the excellent working relationship we have with the Republic of the Marshall Islands and our Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission partner, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.”

Shipriders from RMI and the AFMA assisted Sequoia and were instrumental in facilitating communications between the Coast Guard, RMI, WCPFC and foreign fishing vessels encountered during the patrol. While on patrol, Sequoia’s crew conducted seven fisheries enforcement boardings and patrolled the Pacific under the authority of the WCPFC and the bi-lateral agreement with RMI.

The WCPFC is comprised of 40 nations that regulate fisheries in the high seas regions of the Pacific. Within these partnerships, the Coast Guard’s 14th District works closely to promote the conservation and sustainable use of migratory fish stocks.

The Coast Guard executes bilateral agreements with nine Pacific Island countries. This body of agreements, commonly known as shiprider agreements, allows the service to engage in bilateral maritime operations where a law enforcement officer rides aboard a Coast Guard platform, usually a cutter, enforces their own nation’s EEZ with the Coast Guard’s support. This allows for capacity building, training, joint operations and the safeguarding of highly migratory fish stocks in the Pacific that may enter and travel to any of a number of different EEZs including that of the United States.

The crew’s law enforcement boardings and patrol efforts provide deterrence for illegal fishing activities while simultaneously strengthening international partnerships. The U.S.-RMI bilateral agreement pertaining to fisheries law enforcement provided the basis for the crew’s efforts to assist the Marshall Islands Police Department’s Sea Patrol Division – the bilateral agreement serves as a force multiplier for this small agency responsible for patrolling nearly 800,000 square miles of RMI’s EEZ. The embarked AFMA fisheries enforcement officer assisted the crew’s law enforcement officers in enforcing the conservation management measures of the WCPFC, ensuring that fishing vessels within the convention area remained in compliance.

During scheduled port visits in Majuro, RMI, and Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, the crew completed four community relations projects highlighting the close relationships between the United States and Pacific Island partners. In both ports, crewmembers held boating safety workshops with local boat operators focusing on the importance of being properly equipped and prepared, as well as how to improve visibility for search and rescue personnel if stranded at sea.

“These opportunities to help others are the highlight of my time aboard Sequoia,” said Chief Petty Officer Mark Petty, a boatswain’s mate assigned to Sequoia’s deck department. “I look forward to each patrol when we have the chance to brighten the lives of those who live on remote islands in the Pacific.”
In Majuro, crewmembers helped restore a park sponsored by the U.S. Embassy as a way to positively impact the lives of Majuro children, and visited local schools to talk about opportunities in the Coast Guard. In Pohnpei, crewmembers offloaded seven pallets of books donated to local schools by the Ayuda Foundation in Guam.

“Our small crew is adeptly trained to complete a variety of missions,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jessica Worst, commanding officer aboard Sequoia. “We are always prepared to shift between search and rescue, aids to navigation servicing, law enforcement, and humanitarian efforts. The cutter is equipped with a heavy lift crane and ample cargo space, which dramatically increases our versatility as the only large Coast Guard asset in the Western Pacific. The crew does a phenomenal job utilizing these capabilities to the fullest and providing as much support to our Pacific Island partners as we can.”

Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia is a multi-mission, 225-foot, Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender with a crew of eight officers and 43 enlisted members. In addition to maintaining aids to navigation in the Mariana Islands and Kwajalein Atoll, the crew conducts search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement and homeland security missions.

For more information, contact USCGC Sequoia's public affairs officer at Peter.M.Driscoll@uscg.mil.