Operation Island Chief

Operation Island Chief continues protection of Pacific from illegal fishing

 FFA Director Fisheries Operations, Allan Rahari said that despite the 10-day Operation covering a substantial area it was bolstered by local knowledge and expertise.

“Island Chief, one of four operations conducted annually, is a massive operation that covers the Pacific waters of 11 participating FFA member nations - Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu,” said Mr Rahari.

Four illegal fishers netted during large scale regional crackdown

Nine patrol boats from the 10 member nations of the Forum Fisheries Agency took part in Operation Island Chief, with support from the navies of Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

More than 350 personnel were involved in the operation that covered 14 million square kilometres of ocean.

Four fishing vessels, three flagged to China and one to Chinese Taipei, were found to be infringing fishing regulations.

The infringements in Vanuatu and on the high seas, centred around misreporting of information and unmarked gear.