Operation tackles IUU head-on

Source: The Fiji Times
Author: Timoci Vula

Fiji joined eight other Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members in Operation Tui Moana 2024 that targeted illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and promoted sustainable fisheries across the Pacific.

The two-week long operation saw FFA members, the Pacific Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group (Pacific QUADs) and partners safeguarding invaluable marine resources of Pacific island nations and the Western Central Pacific Ocean.

Fiji, Australia, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu alongside technology partners, assets and personnel from the Pacific QUADs - Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States - participated in the FFA-led operation.

FFA director general Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen said the operation exemplified the spirit of regional collaboration and determination among Pacific islands nations.

"By tackling IUU fishing head-on, we are not only preserving our marine resources but also securing the livelihoods and food security of our people," Dr Tupou-Roosen said in a statement.

Operation Tui Moana was conducted in the combined area of seven participating members' economic exclusion zones (EEZs) and adjacent high seas pockets in an area of operation approximately six million square kilometres, approximately the land mass of Australia.

The operation placed an emphasis on boarding activities, co-operative surveillance engagements among FFA members and the Pacific QUADs countries, and the use of remote sensing information to drive the intelligence-led operation.

Contacts were made with more than 500 vessels during the operation using air, surface and remote-sensing platforms; 80 boardings in port and at sea and 10 vessels of interest were detected and reported to members for further investigation as part of the outcome of maritime domain awareness (MDA) analysis and inspections.