Joint media release: Australian Fisheries Management Authority and Australian Border Force
Australia’s engagement with its international partners to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has again been showcased during Operation Nasse, a multilateral maritime surveillance operation involving France, New Zealand and the United States of America.
Over the past three weeks, officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and Maritime Border Command (MBC) within the Australian Border Force (ABF) have been participating in Operation Nasse.
The focus of the operation was to deter IUU fishing and identify operators not complying with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Conservation Management Measures (CMM).
It involved air surveillance, at sea inspections and maritime intelligence sharing and provided an opportunity for the four participating countries to work collaboratively targeting IUU fishing.
Air and sea patrols resulted in 42 vessel inspections. Five serious and 13 minor violations of the WCPFC CMMs were reported and the flag state of each vessel was notified.
Approaching a fishing vessel for inspection during Operation Nasse
AFMA’s General Manager of Operations, Mr Peter Venslovas, said IUU fishing was a shared problem and Operation Nasse continues to demonstrate that international cooperation is crucial.
“An operation like this provides us with an opportunity to strengthen our relationships with international counterparts, which is essential when fighting illegal fishing,” Mr Venslovas said.
“The outcomes of Operation Nasse demonstrate that regionally we have the resources, intelligence and capabilities to protect marine stocks.”
Commander MBC, Rear Admiral Peter Laver, commended the joint efforts of MBC and AFMA officers who continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Australia’s waters remain free from illegal fishing.
“Our waters are an important economic and environmental resource and it is important that our fisheries are maintained and protected,” Rear Admiral Laver said.
“The message to illegal fishers is clear: we are targeting you and there is nowhere to hide.”
Through MBC, Australia deployed one Dash 8 surveillance plane and the Cape Class patrol boat ADV Cape Nelson. This was in addition to the French Guardian surveillance aircraft and Patrol Boat La Moqueuse and the New Zealand offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Otago.
Shared fish stocks in the Pacific Ocean such as tuna are also targeted by commercial and recreational fishers along Australia’s Eastern seaboard. By helping to protect these shared resources from illegal fishing, joint operations like Operation Nasse also benefit Australia’s local fisheries.
For more information on how Australia is combating illegal fishing visit afma.gov.au.
ENDS
Media contacts:
AFMA: media@afma.gov.au or 0437 869 860
Immigration and Border Protection: (02) 6264 2244