Australian and Indonesian authorities recently teamed up to conduct a four-day patrol of joint waters, aiming to detect and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
Operation HORIZON WATCH consisted of Australian and Indonesian aircraft, patrol vessels, and officers targeting civil maritime threats off Ashmore and Cartier Islands, par of an external territory of Australia located near the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara.
During the patrol, officials from the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Indonesia Directorate General of Surveillance for Marine and Fisheries Resources (PSDKP) intercepted four Indonesian fishing vessels.
One vessel was found to be operating outside of approved permit conditions and was ordered to return to the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang for further investigation by Indonesian authorities. Another vessel experienced engine failure and was subsequently towed to Kupang by PSDKP, while compliance checks on the remaining two vessels confirmed they were operating in accordance with permit requirements and no further action was taken.
“These coordinated patrols demonstrate our shared responsibility to stop illegal fishing and reinforce our collective commitment to protecting marine environments and fisheries resources for future generations," Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AMFA) CEO Wez Norris said in an ABF release.
Besides vessel inspections, the patrol also aimed to improve the coordination of both countries at sea and strengthen their ability to detect and respond to illegal activity across their shared maritime border, the ABF said.
“PSDKP remains committed to enhancing collaboration with ABF and AFMA to promote sustainable and responsible fishing practices in the waters of both countries," PSDKP Director General Pung Nugroho Saksono said.
The operation was the eighth such joint patrol carried out by both parties.
IUU fishing remains an environmentally concerning and costly issue. According to Fair Observer, IUU fishing costs Indonesia between USD 1.7 billion (EUR 1.47 billion) and USD 5.9 billion (EUR 5.1 billion) in annual losses, with other estimates putting that figure as high as USD 17 billion (EUR 14.7 billion) annually.
