Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard said its work with Canadian forces and other international partners countering illegal fishing as part of Operation North Pacific Guard (Operation NPG) has concluded.
The multinational counter Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing operation represents the best of interoperability between the U.S. and its international partners to detect, deter and combat IUU fishing, officials said. The joint mission included U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Maritime Information Fusion Center, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Tactical Law Enforcement Team, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, in coordination with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Fisheries Agency of Japan, Korea Coast Guard, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea.
“For over 30 years, NPG has combated IUU fishing on the high seas, which has a direct positive impact on U.S. fish stocks and our U.S. seafood economy,” Capt. Brian Whisler, commanding officer of the USCGC Midgett, said. “I am proud of our work to uphold good governance on the high seas through tactical-level coordination with trusted international partners, and this Operation continues to provide a huge return on investment each year. The U.S. Coast Guard collaborates with our allies and partners to secure the seas against illegal fishing, trafficking, and external destabilizing influences.”
During the 25-day mission in the North Pacific, the Midgett crew conducted eight high seas boardings and inspections, detecting three potential violations of conservation and management measures established by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. Joint crews also identified several potential violations including shark fin harvesting. Potential violations were submitted to the fishing vessel’s flag state for adjudication.
NPG began in the early 1990s to enforce the United Nations General Assembly’s moratorium on high-seas drift nets, the Coast Guard said, and IUU fishing remains a global threat. The joint command said that every year between 11 and 26 million metric tons of fish are caught through IUU fishing around the world, threatening national security, international relations and global economies.