Island Chief hauls in biggest ever catch

ABOVE: The two seized fishing vessels from Op Island Chief, Purse Seiner Sun Flower 888 and Fish Carrier Prim Rose 888 await the arrival of FSS Micronesia’s boarding party.

The largest illegal fishing vessels ever seized in Micronesia have been detained as a direct result of Operation Island Chief 2002.

Fish Carrier Prim Rose 888 and Purse Seiner Sun Flower 888 were detained in Pohnpei following their seizure within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) for illegal fishing and transhipping.

The vessels, registered to the Frabelle Fishing Corporation in the Philippines, were seized near the border of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Kapingamarangi - Pohnpei’s southernmost atoll on the evening of August 19 by FSS Micronesia.

The Micronesia had been dispatched immediately that evening after Island Chief’s operations room locked onto the vessels via Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) inside the EEZ.

The Forum Fisheries Agency, PNG Fisheries and Special Agent Kevin Painter, on loan from US Fisheries Law and Enforcement Agency, assisted during the operation and in particular during the apprehension process.

Island Chief has helped the three nations of FSM, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) to join forces and work within each other’s EEZ in an effort to stamp out illegal fishing in the area.

Prim Rose and Sun Flower arrived in Pohnpei on August 23 for further investigation and awaiting charges.

Through VMS data, catch reports and supportive evidence from the two seized vessels, it is anticipated that another eight foreign fishing vessels will undergo further investigation for possible illegal fishing and related activities with the FSM EEZ.

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