“The two-week long operation, coordinated by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) from 3 – 14 August, also resulted in four vessels being apprehended.”
“OPIC26 covered approximately 27.5 million square kilometres of Pacific waters, monitoring the activities of more than 3,000 fishing vessels operating within the Area of Operation.”
“The operation involved extensive aerial and surface surveillance across the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of 11 FFA Members and adjacent high seas areas. Participating Members were Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Naoero, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.”
“The operation was supported by members of the Pacific Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group (Pacific QUADs) and Fisheries Analysts – Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States – through the provision of surveillance assets and other operational support.”
“The outcome reflects the increasingly targeted nature of regional surveillance operations, combining intelligence analysis, satellite and remote-sensing technology, aerial surveillance, surface patrols and vessel inspections to identify activities requiring further investigation by Members.”