Safety of our staff is paramount to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). We thought readers of AFMA news might be interested in one of the many types of training that AFMA staff undergo to help ensure they stay safe on operations.
A Royal Australian Navy trainer explains to an AFMA officer how to safely disembark a fishing vessel
Last month, our newly recruited officers joined forces with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to participate in critical Boarding Vessels at Sea (BVAS) training.
The joint agency exercise was designed for fisheries officers who have put their hands up for the tough and potentially dangerous job of patrolling Australian waters for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity.
The new AFMA recruits participated in the routine training exercise run by the Royal Australian Navy to equip our officers with the skills needed to handle potential situations that may arise while conducting inspections and vessel boardings at sea.
Learning alongside our naval counterparts, AFMA officers developed their skills in conducting patrols on different platforms, in which joint cooperation is essential to the success of the operation.
Using purpose-designed training vessels, new recruits were able to dive straight into the realm of fisheries operations and for experienced officers to refresh and enhance their existing knowledge and skills in a realistic simulation to strengthen their capabilities.
It was also a great opportunity for inter-agency capacity building for AFMA and RAN to share information and different techniques in approaching vessel boarding and investigations.
AFMA officers participate in a joint agency exercise with the Royal Australian Navy