At-Sea
Engagement To Combat Illegal Fishing
by U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer
Sara Muir March 23, 2023
The U.S. Coast Guard and Federated States
of Micronesia National Police conducted a successful at-sea engagement
to combat illegal fishing in Yap State in March 2023.
The effort involved a joint patrol by the
crews of USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) and FSS Tosiwo Nakayama (P901)
near Yap State in support of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries
Agency's Operation 365 ... part of the FFA's regional monitoring
control and surveillance operations to stop illegal, unreported,
and unregulated fishing in the Pacific.

The crews of USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) and the FSS
Tosiwo Nakayama (P901) conduct a joint patrol near Yap State
in support of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency's
Operation 365, part of the FFA’s regional monitoring control
and surveillance operations to stop illegal, unreported,
and unregulated fishing in the Pacific on March 16, 2023.
The Tosiwo Nakayama is currently FSM's only active Guardian-class
patrol boat. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S.
Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Breandan Muldowney.)
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"The crew enjoyed conducting a professional
exchange including navigation and seamanship training during a close-quarters
formation steaming with our colleagues aboard the FSS Tosiwo Nakayama
before they pulled into Yap," said Lt. Freddy Hofschneider, commanding
officer of the Oliver Henry.
The Tosiwo Nakayama is currently
FSM's only active Guardian-class patrol boat. Under the Australian
Pacific Maritime Security Program, Australia is delivering 22 Guardian-class
Patrol Boats to 12 Pacific Island nations and Timor-Lesté. They
also provide additional training to enable nations to make the most
out of this capability.
The FSM is a sovereign nation with
full diplomatic relations, deep ties, and a cooperative relationship
with the United States. They participate in an amended Compact of
Free Association with the U.S., under which the FSM and the United
States agreed that the U.S. has full authority and responsibility
for defense and security matters relating to the FSM. Many FSM citizens
also live, work, and study in the U.S. and voluntarily serve in
the U.S. Armed Forces at per capita rates higher than many U.S.
states.
"The ongoing partnership between the FSM and the
U.S. Coast Guard seeks to enhance FSM's sovereignty and capability
to combat illicit maritime activity, particularly illegal fishing,
to the benefit of all Pacific partners but with a focus on the people
of the FSM and their economic and food security needs," said Capt.
Nick Simmons, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector
Guam. "We appreciate the efforts of the National Police, the U.S.
Embassy, and our Australian Pacific Maritime Security Program partners
to make these shared multilateral operations possible to increase
regional security and prosperity."
The crew also leveraged
time underway while on patrol in the FSM Exclusive Economic Zone
for maintenance, Basic Engineering Casualty Control Exercises or
BECCEs, and cutter boat training. The crew is on a four-week expeditionary
patrol throughout Western Oceania.
The Oliver Henry is the
40th 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter named for Oliver
T. Henry, Jr., an enlisted African American Coast Guard member first
to break the color barrier of a then-segregated Service.
It homeports in Guam, working with U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector
Guam, which comprises nearly 300 personnel to provide a significant
portion of the U.S. Coast Guard's enduring regional presence in
Oceania.
Operation 365 is the Regional Fisheries Surveillance
Centre's overarching plan for Regional Monitoring Control and Surveillance
operations. OP365 provides comprehensive support to regional surveillance
and enforcement efforts in Pacific Island Countries on an ongoing
basis. OP365 requires the concerted and consistent effort of all
17 Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency member nations and the
four members of the Pacific Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group
countries, Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United States,
to be successful.
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