*Venezuelan tuna fishing vessel fined EUR 610K for poaching*
FRENCH POLYNESIA
Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 02:30 (GMT + 9)
(http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&country=&special=&monthyear=&day=&id=33398&ndb=1&df=0)

June 18, 2009 - 7:03AM

Mexico's navy has seized more than a ton of cocaine stuffed inside frozen sharks, as drug gangs under military pressure go to greater lengths to conceal narcotics bound for the United States.

Matangi, Tonga online

18 December 2008

Tonga has successfully received a payment of $500,000 pa'anga from the owners of the Taiwanese fishing vessel that was prosecuted for illegal fishing in Tongan waters in January.

Peni Vea, the Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Forests and Fisheries (MAFFF) confirmed today that a $500,000 pa'anga penalty had been received from the Taiwanese. Tonga was initially seeking $2.5 million in penalties.

Pacific Magazine

18th November 2008

Kiribati has arrested two more foreign fishing boats for violating their fishing agreements, bringing to three the number of vessels from distant water fishing nations that it has intercepted fishing illegally in the past three months.

Pacific Magazine

November 3rd 2008

A U.S. Coast Guard boarding team seized 15 pounds of shark fins aboard a U.S. fishing vessel in the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZi).

Sydney Morning Herald

September 30 2008

A CENTRAL plank of Australia's efforts to enhance security and improve ties in the Pacific - a program to help 12 countries patrol their waters - has become too costly and should be scrapped, a Defence report recommends.

The Australian

September 17 2008

EUROPEAN Union officials have agreed to do more to help Pacific Island nations deal with climate change and tackle the ongoing problem of illegal fishing.

Representatives from Pacific Island Forum member nations Australia, Niue and Tonga met EU officials in Brussels today to hammer out agreements in which Europe will lend a greater helping hand across the Pacific.

Pacific Magazine

2nd October 2008

A Taiwanese fishing boat, Fong Seong 779, was arrested inside Kiribati’s 200 mile exclusive economic zone (EEZi) waters for failing to comply with the regional Rukuruke Operation, an agreement signed by Pacific countries for foreign fishing boats operating inside their waters.

Radio New Zeland International

2nd October 2008

A Taiwanese fishing boat has been fined 100-thousand US dollars for failure to comply with conditions for licensed foreign fishing vessels operating inside Kiribati’s 200 mile exclusive economic zone or EEZi.

Pacific Magazine reports the crew Fong Seong 779 was arrested for failure to comply with the regional Rukuruku Operation agreement signed by Pacific countries for foreign fishing boats operating inside their waters.