Australian Customs and Indonesian Fisheries vessels have completed a coordinated fisheries patrol in the Arafura Sea in a cooperative effort to combat illegal fishing.

Australian Customs Vessel (ACV) Arnhem Bay and Indonesian Fisheries epartment vessels Hiu Macan 003 and Hiu Macan 004 patrolled their respective side of the Australia-Indonesia maritime border from the 29 October through to 1 November 2007. A Customs Coastwatch aircraft supported the patrols providing daily aerial surveillance of the region.

Commander Border Protection Command, Rear Admiral James Goldrick, welcomed the cooperative approach to combat illegal fishing.

"This patrol signifies greater cooperation between Australia and Indonesia for a more coordinated approach to reducing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the region," Rear Admiral Goldrick said.

The operational patrol follows an exercise earlier this year conducted to fine tune communication protocols. This is the first time that the two nations have rendezvoused at sea to undertake civil cooperative patrol activity. The patrol exercised communication procedures and protocols between the Australian Customs and Indonesian Fisheries vessels and surveillance aircraft in response to illegal fishing activities within respective exclusive economic zones.

The patrol is part of a range of measures to enable Australian Customs vessels to work more closely with Indonesian fisheries patrol vessels and increase our ability to apprehend illegal foreign fishing vessels in Australian waters.

Australia and Indonesia agreed to conduct coordinated patrols at the Australia-Indonesia Fisheries Surveillance Forum held earlier this year. The forum established measures for cooperation on fisheries surveillance and response activities, information sharing, coordinated activity, information networks, technical assistance as well as options for funding of these activities.

During July 2006 to June 2007 there was a 58 percent reduction in sightings of illegal foreign fishing vessels in the high risk areas of Australia's northern waters in the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (AEEZ) compared with the previous year. At the same time surveillance coverage in the area increased by around eight percent, and the rate of apprehension of foreign fishing vessels to those sighted increased by more than 40 percent.

"Foreign fishing vessels continue to operate just beyond the boundaries of the AEEZ and a reduction in our border protection efforts could result in a resurgence of foreign fishing vessel activity in our waters. Therefore border protection operations are continuing in order to provide ongoing strong deterrence to these potential illegal foreign fishing threats," Admiral Goldrick said.

Media Inquiries:
Border Protection Command Media (02) 6275 6793

Media Note:
Images of the patrol are available in the image gallery