IUU Fishing
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Global Commons
Maritime security group examines Southeast Asian challenges, accessible U.S. technology
FORUM Staff A new public-private plan to transform maritime security in Southeast Asia will commit about $95 million annually for low-cost, commercially available solutions to strengthen maritime domain awareness (MDA), sustainment and security in the region. The United States Department of Defense (DOD) launched the Maritime Security (MARSEC) Consortium in November 2024. It will unite Southeast Asian government leaders, U.S.…
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Partnerships
U.S. providing aircraft, boats to help Vietnam counter illegal fishing, enhance defenses
Reuters The United States will provide $12.5 million to Vietnam to enhance its maritime law enforcement capabilities and combat illegal fishing, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said. The assistance includes support for Vietnamese maritime law enforcement agencies, the donation of small boats and development of training facilities. Vietnam is among several Southeast Asian nations that have accused People’s Republic of…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Quad leaders to expand maritime security cooperation in face of PRC aggression
FORUM Staff Australia, India, Japan and the United States will launch joint Coast Guard patrols in the Indo-Pacific in 2025. The enhanced security cooperation will improve interoperability and boost maritime safety, the leaders of the four member nations of the Quadrilateral partnership, or Quad, announced after their late September 2024 summit in the U.S. The initial Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Illegal PRC fishing hurts East African communities, report says
RADIO FREE ASIA A multibillion-dollar global fishing industry backed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government is driving a surge of vessels engaged in illegal activities and exploiting fishing grounds off East Africa, according to a London-based environmental group. “Before the Chinese fishing boats came here, we could expect a good catch when we cast our nets, even if…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Allies, Partners continue push against IUU fishing
FORUM Staff Seven years after the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed June 5 the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners continue to lead the battle against an illicit activity that the U.N. says has “major implications for the conservation and management of ocean resources, as well as the food security…
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Across The Region
Palau-U.S. Agreement Bolsters Island Nation’s Maritime Enforcement
A Palau-United States agreement authorizes U.S. ships to unilaterally enforce maritime regulations in the Pacific island nation’s exclusive economic zone. The August 2023 move followed the Palau president’s request for Washington’s help to deter “unwanted activities” by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “This agreement helps Palau monitor our exclusive economic zone, protect against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and deter…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Philippines says PRC causing environmental damage in South China Sea
The Associated Press The Philippines is calling for an international inquiry into environmental damage at a Chinese-controlled shoal in the South China Sea, including a massive loss of giant clams. The Philippine Coast Guard in late May 2024 released surveillance photographs of Chinese fishermen harvesting giant clams in a lagoon at Scarborough Shoal. It said such activity occurred for years…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Long-standing shiprider agreements boost Free and Open Indo-Pacific, protect EEZs
FORUM Staff The shiprider program, the successful multilateral fisheries surveillance and law enforcement effort in the Indo-Pacific, traces its origins to the late 1980s when the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency recommended member countries develop a reciprocal enforcement agreement. The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Harriet Lane partners with local police, fisheries agencies and other officials in Fiji,…
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Conflicts - Tensions
U.S. Coast Guard affirms legality of patrols, boardings with Pacific partners
Reuters Recent boardings of Chinese fishing boats by the United States Coast Guard and Pacific island partners were conducted at the behest of Pacific nations to protect their coastal fisheries, officials said, dismissing Beijing’s claims that the joint patrols violate international law. Six Chinese fishing vessels were found to be violating Vanuatu’s fisheries law after being inspected by local police…
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Across The Region
Protecting Sea Lines of Communication
The oceans and seas that dominate the Indo-Pacific present a challenge of immense proportions to safeguarding sovereignty and upholding freedom of navigation and commerce — an obstacle that military planners call the “tyranny of distance.” Increasingly, satellites, sensors, uncrewed aerial and surface vessels, and other technologies — combined with comprehensive information-sharing endeavors among like-minded nations — are key to bridging…
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