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To scan the more than four million square kilometre expanse of the North Pacific, thought to be the location of most illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Canada’s Air Force relies on its CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft. Capable of flying for 14 hours and travelling more than 9,000 kilometres before refuelling, the Aurora is one of the few aircraft in the world capable of effectively searching such a vast expanse.
In addition to her highly trained military crew of 14, the Aurora embarks both DFO fishery officers as well as their U.S. counterparts in the National Marine Fisheries Service for these IUU patrols. Together, the aircraft and her crew deploy to Alaska to patrol the North Pacific, and identify and record evidence of IUU fishing.
When vessels suspected of illegal fishing activities are discovered, they are reported to the United States Coast Guard or other cooperating agencies such as the Russian Federal Border Service, the Japanese Fisheries Agency or the Fisheries Agency of South Korea.
Since 1993, coordination of multi-departmental, multinational efforts has enabled the identification of 59 vessels suspected of IUU fishing. This has led to 19 boardings and the seizure of many tonnes of IUU catch. Eleven of the boardings have been conducted by the United States Coast Guard; six by Russia’s Federal Border Service; and one by Japan’s Maritime Safety Agency. The owners of one of the boarded vessels were fined; the remainder were turned over to their respective governments.
In 2005, air patrols spotted and reported five vessels suspected of activities ranging from vessel identity theft to undocumented at-sea transfers. One vessel was subsequently boarded and her case was turned over to the appropriate government for prosecution. In May 2006, two vessels rigged with gear for high seas driftnet fishing were spotted, however no illegal fishing was observed.
The relatively low number of suspect vessels found is encouraging news. Although other factors such as market conditions, migration patterns and sea temperature help reduce the level of IUU fishing, continued enforcement is seen as the most compelling reason for the 90 per cent reduction in IUU fishing in the North Pacific since its peak in 1998.
The effectiveness of this multinational enforcement approach makes it a model for other operations to protect natural resources elsewhere in the world.
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