Bob Debus, Australian Minister for Home Affairs, told that the vessels from Australian Customs and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries have completed a coordinated patrol targeting illegal fishing north of Australia. He also said that the Customs Vessel Triton and Indonesian Fisheries Vessels Hiu Macan 003 and Hiu Macan004 patrolled their respective Exclusive Economic Zones in the Arafura Sea north-east of Darwin.
Debus also informed that the Indonesian vessels also visited an Australian port for the first time. According to him the operation was the second co-ordinated patrol involving Australian and Indonesian vessels and demonstrated both governments’ co-operative approach to the issue of illegal foreign fishing. The operation was lasted for two weeks and was co-ordinated by Border Protection Command and included daily aerial surveillance by Coastwatch and RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft. An Indonesian Fisheries officer on board the Coastwatch aircraft co-ordinated the response of the Indonesian patrol vessels to sightings north of the Australian/Indonesian maritime border.
Debus told that illegal fishing is an international problem threatening world wide fish stocks, the marine environment and the border security of all nations in the region. He opined that the main purpose of the patrol was to work together to detect, board and apprehend any suspected illegal, unlicensed or unreported fishing boats in Australian and Indonesian waters.
To tackle the global issue of illegal fishing international co-operation is the key to it and success of this operation is the cooperation of the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the crews of the patrol vessels.
