THE US Coast Guard has taken part in a 10-day multinational exercise aimed at curtailing illegal, undocumented and unreported (IUU) fishing within the Western Pacific.

From August 16–26, patrol boats from Coast Guard Sector Guam, the Republic of Palau, Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati participated in ‘Operation Island Chief’.

The exercise involved the Coast Guard Cutters Assateague and Sequoia, and seven Pacific patrol boats from various island nations, along with aerial support from the US Navy Commander Task Force 72.

The joint operation, including the 14th Coast Guard District, the US Navy, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, set out to locate, identify and verify the licences and documentation of hundreds of fishing vessels in the various Pacific Island Nation exclusive economic zones.

It is the most complex Operation Island Chief conducted to date.

More than 350 fishing vessels were monitored during the operation. Ninety-nine vessels were sighted and 20 boarded. Crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia identified 10 violations of WCPFC regulations for two foreign fishing vessels on the high seas, forwarding case packages to the vessels’ flag state for prosecution.

The operation also made strong use of Shiprider Agreements enacted between the various governments. These agreements allow Coast Guard cutters to assist foreign nations by providing a platform for the officers of that country to conduct law enforcement operations within their exclusive economic zone, staging from the Coast Guard cutter.

Officers from Palau and Forum Fisheries Agency were embarked aboard Coast Guard Cutters Assateague and Sequoia for the entirety of Operation Island Chief.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said the joint exercises allowed Coast Guard Sector Guam and its Micronesian partner agencies to increase their overall law enforcement effectiveness and share knowledge and techniques that enhance regional security.