HONIARA, 21 MAR 2025 – Illegal fishing
across 14 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean
faced a strong crackdown during Operation Rai Balang 2025
(OPRB25) that concluded this afternoon.
Twelve Members
of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) took
part in the Operation from 3 – 21 March 2025, using
updated technology, thorough training, and closer
coordination to address potential
infringements.
FFA Members involved in
Operation Rai Balang are: Australia, Federated States of
Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
During the
Operation, FFA Members conducted 96 boardings, tracked 189
vessel contacts and identified 7,629 satellite
detections.
The Operation resulted in the detection of
seven high risk vessels of interest.
FFA
Director-General Noan Pakop highlighted the success of
Operation Rai Balang 2025 and the role of intelligence
analysis in guiding effective planning and targeted
surveillance by maritime assets and boarding
teams.
“Our daily intelligence work at the Regional
Fisheries Surveillance Centre has been crucial to
identifying and stopping illegal fishing activities,” he
said.
Mr Pakop acknowledged the 12 Members who took
part, the involvement of the Pacific QUADs, and the ongoing
support of monitoring, control, and surveillance partners in
strengthening regional operations to combat illegal,
unreported, and unregulated fishing.
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A key highlight
of the Operation was the formalisation of a cooperative
aerial surveillance activity between Nauru and Australia
under the Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement
(NTSA).
Twenty-five seconded officers assisted in the
coordination of OPRB25 from the Regional Fisheries
Surveillance Centre at the FFA Headquarters in Honiara,
providing daily intelligence and monitoring control and
surveillance data systems to support the implementing
Members.
Officers used a range of high-technology
systems in addition to FFA Maritime Domain Awareness Tools:
TUFMAN 2 is a tuna fisheries data management platform;
HawkEye 360 is a radio-frequency tracking tool; Starboard
Maritime Intelligence is a data analysis platform; a DVD
system handles digital verification; and Maxar provides
satellite imagery.
The Operation detected potential
non-compliance with conservation management measures in
several Members’ Exclusive Economic Zones and high seas
areas that will be pursued through national and regional
enforcement action
processes.
