FFA REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, FRIDAY 21 AUGUST 2009: Operation Kurukuru 2009, a coordinated maritime surveillance operation in which countries cooperate to detect activities such as illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, smuggling and people trafficking, was hosted by FFA over 10 days.
Operation Kurukuru 2009 resulted in 21 boardings of vessels, levying of a $10,000 fine and 3 apprehensions of vessels which were escorted to port for further investigation. In Tuvalu, 1 vessel was fined USD $10,000 for misreporting of fishing catch. The 4 aircraft involved in the operation flew a total of 85 hours and covered approximately 800,000 square nautical miles.
Monitoring & Surveillance
Region’s biggest maritime surveillance operation acts to stop illegal fishing
Officers learn about monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, MONDAY 29 JUNE 2009: Fisheries and compliance officers from Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu are in Honiara this week to learn more about monitoring, control and surveillance of illegal fishing.
The Week 5 FFA Component of the National Fisheries Officers’ Surveillance Course opened today in Honiara at the FFA Conference Centre. This is the final week in the 5-week course, the rest of the course being conducted by AMC Search Ltd in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Course is an annual event funded by the Australian Department of Defence and facilitated by staff of the Australian Maritime College and the FFA. The course is aimed at developing expertise and capacity of national officers responsible for monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing in the region.
Countries meet to explore options for international tuna meeting
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, MONDAY 15 JUNE 2009: Fisheries officers from Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Indonesia and Philippines are in Honiara today to discuss options, positions and negotiation strategies for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting in December 2009.
FFA is coordinating subregional workshops so that all its 17 members have information and informal discussions to prepare for their participation in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and at its next meeting in December in French Polynesia.
Key surveillance operation concludes this week in FSM & Palau
THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU AND THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, 12 MAY 2009: Operation Rai Balang, a bilateral maritime surveillance operation between Palau and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to detect activities such as illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, ended today. The operation was conducted over 10 days from 2-12 May 2009 over the Palauan and FSM Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in their entirety. This is the fifth Rai Balang conducted (the first was in 2006) and was the most complex to-date. Support was provided by a diverse number of agencies in dispersed locations, including Australian advisers (through the Defence Cooperation Program), US Coast Guard (USCG) agencies in Guam and Hawaii and the US Navy in Japan.
PNG Minister of Defence visits FFA
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TUESDAY 5 MAY 2009: The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) was pleased to host the Hon Bob Dadae MP, Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence, who visited the regional headquarters of FFA while visiting Honiara on official business.
Deputy Director of FFA, Dr Transform Aquorau, and staff briefed the Minister on the work FFA does regarding monitoring, contol and surveillance including the vessel monitoring system, coordination of regional surveillance operations and some of the management initiatives in the region such as the Vessel Day Scheme and the monitoring, control and surveillance implications of recent management decisions of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).
FFA monitoring, control and surveillance experts meet about illegal fishing
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, FRIDAY 3 APRIL 2009: Experts in monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries from the 17 member countries and territories of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) will meet today and next week to discuss how they can better respond on a regional level to illegal fishing.
FFA and WCPFC sign agreement to build WCPFC vessel monitoring system
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) recently signed a Service Level Agreement for FFA to develop a Vessel Monitoring System for the WCPFC, in Busan, Korea. The WCPFC will be the first regional fisheries management organisation to have a Vessel Monitoring System in place, scheduled for 2009.
PHOTO: FFA Director General Su’a N.F. Tanielu and WCPFC Executive Director Andrew Wright (seated) and FFA and WCPFC Staff at the signing ceremony for the Service Level Agreement.
Vital issues for Pacific Islands coming up at Tuna Commission
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2008: With the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting in 2 weeks time, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) today released a set of 2-Minute Briefs to inform industry, government, media and non-government organisations in the Pacific Islands about relevant meeting agenda items. Taking just 2 minutes to read, the briefs provide a summary of key issues at the WCPFC meeting and how they affect Pacific Island tuna fisheries.
The WCPFC is the regional decision making body for management of tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Conservation and management measures (CMMs) of the Commission are legally binding and apply to all WCPFC members and the Convention area. The WCPFC meets this year from 7-12 December in Busan Korea.
FFA assists countries to board and prosecute fishing vessels
NUKU’ALOFA, TONGA, MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2008: The FFA Director General Su’a N.F. Tanielu opened the Prosecution and Dockside Boarding Workshop in Tonga today. This workshop will assist local officers to board and inspect fishing vessels for offences.
In Tonga this week, fisheries officers, police and maritime navy at the workshop will learn more about International law, National laws, Regional and Sub-regional Fisheries Agreements, Fishing Vessel Boarding & Evidence Collections and Court Procedures.
Operation Kurukuru
2009
