Australia and Indonesia team up to tackle illegal fishing
Australian has entered a Civil Maritime Enforcement and Security Partnership with Indonesia that aims to tackle unregulated fishing, piracy and other organised crime.
The partnership provides a framework for intelligence and information sharing, joint training and development, communications and operational cooperation. It is hoped that it will improve the surveillance of illegal fishing in Indonesian and Australian exclusive economic zones.
The agreement was signed by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries on 25 August 2015.
Read the official media release.
Recent illegal fishing activity
ABF continuously monitors illegal fishing activities in Australian Waters, and has had an extremely busy past 6 months. Here's some of their recent activity.
10 September 2015: Ghost net retrieved from Ashmore Reef
Marine Unit Officers from the ABF remove a ghost net (abandoned net) from the northern tip of the Ashmore Reef, preventing irreparable damage to native marine life and coral.
27 September 2015 - Boarded illegal fishing vessel Viking
Officers board and search the internationally listed illegal and unregulated fishing vessel Viking after intercepting it 270 nautical miles off Christmas Island. The Australian Fisheries and Maritime Authority (AFMA) conduct further inquiries relating to the vessel's authority to fish, sharing their findings with INTERPOL and nations subscribed to the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA). Earlier in the year, the master of the Viking was found guilty of fisheries charges in Malaysia (April 2015).
10 October 2015: Recovery of Shark Fins
In a collaborative effort, AFMA and Navy personnel search a fishing vessel intercepted by Border Force officers off the north coast of Western Australia. On board they locate 60 Shark Fins and 70kg of fish.
21 October 2015: Apprehension inside the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve
Maritime Border Command officers partner with AFMA to apprehend a foreign fishing vessel inside the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve. They find 60kg of fresh fish, 80kg of fish on ice and a range of fishing equipment on board.
13 November 2015: 400kg of fish found on Indonesian vessel
AFMA and Maritime Border Control once again team-up to apprehend an Indonesian vessel east of the Ashmore Islands. They locate over 400kg of fish on board and fishing equipment deployed in the water.
11 December 2015: New patrol position immediately sees results
ABF bolsters their presence in far north Queensland through the addition of a Bay Class patrol vessel in the area, and it immediately pays off. They apprehend three fishing vessels from Papua New Guinea (PNG) operating illegally on Warrior Reef in the Torres Strait. On board officers find approximately 350kg of sea cucumber, 5kg of squid, 3kg of octopus and a range of fishing equipment. 28 fishers from the three vessels are apprehended and transferred to the PNG Government.
generic doctor
2846 days ago
Thanks for including the gorgeous pictures-- so vulnerable
to a sense of contemplation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIJzPyBZiQA