Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda Wyrick | Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Parmenter, an aviation maintenance technician from Coast...... read more read more
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Some of the world’s most abundant fisheries come out of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. This “tuna belt” is responsible for 70 percent of the global tuna supply and about 65 to 70 percent of the global value of tuna both at the dock and the final sale.
In 2014, Parties of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, the international manager of the tuna fishing in these waters, caught almost 2.85 million metric tons of tuna. That catch was worth more than $5 billion to fisherman and more than $22.86 billion at the final point of sale. For so many in the Pacific fishing is vital to life, putting food on the table and money in their pocket.
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing in this region threatens economic security and environmental wellbeing for the United States and all of the Pacific Island nations. IUU fishing undermines efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks in all capture-fisheries. This leads to the loss of both short and long-term social and economic opportunities, negatively impacting food security and environmental protection.
There are over 5,600 fishing vessels registered with the WCPFC from 26 member nations. Due to high global demand for fish, some among the fishing fleets are tempted to exceed quotas or illegally fish within national EEZs. The vast distance across the Pacific Ocean offer’s IUU fisherman a lower probability of detection, escaping repercussions or prosecution. No nation or organization can be expected to combat IUU fishing alone. IUU fishing must be an organized effort between Pacific Island nations, distant water fishing nations, regional fisheries and management and non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.
Operation Tui Moana is one of the organized efforts led by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and conducted across Polynesia and parts of Melanesia. Since 1979, FFA has facilitated regional cooperation so that Pacific countries have the opportunity to benefit from the sustainable use of migratory fish stocks.
“A total of 186 detections, 16 boardings, with no infractions is a credit to the efforts of all concerned, and I’m pleased by the ongoing quality of intel and analysis support to and from participating members”, said James Movick, FFA director-general. “We have seen a shift in the nature of IUU fishing in the region away from unlicensed rogue vessels and toward licensed vessels contravening their conditions, especially through misreporting and underreporting their activities and through unauthorized transhipment. The fact that no rogue vessels were detected despite the enormous coverage reinforces this.”
An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point forward deployed to the South Pacific flew air surveillance for nearly 90 hours over a seven day period. An intelligence specialist also worked with the Regional Fisheries Surveillance Center for the week-long operation by gathering, analyzing and putting together information from various resources to help drive operations and enhance effectiveness.
The joint efforts for Operation Tui Moana covered over 2.45 million square miles, with the U.S. Coast Guard contributing 502,890 of those square miles.
The FFA, based in Honiara, Solomon Islands, combines 17 individual member nation’s strengths and and promotes regional solidarity to enhance management and control to ensuring the stock’s future sustainability. The members are Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
“The U.S. Coast Guard is dedicated to fisheries enforcement and partners with Pacific Island Nations to protect this fragile marine ecosystem,” said Michael Koehler, an HC-130 Hercules airplane pilot from Air Station Barbers Point, “It’s a privilege to work alongside our Pacific neighbors to ensure the continued economic prosperity and a thriving ocean for generations to come.”
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2017 19:24 |
| Story ID: | 239074 |
| Location: | AS |
| Web Views: | 339 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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