Coast Guard Patrols North Pacific in Support of International Fisheries

JUNEAU, Alaska — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mellon
(WHEC-717) continues their North Pacific patrol in support of Operation North
Pacific Guard (NPG) 2019, protecting living marine resources, enforcing
international fisheries agreements and conducting global security missions, the
Coast Guard 17th District said in a statement.

Since June, Mellon’s crew has conducted 40 boardings and
issued 61 violations. A total of 25 were serious violations because of their
potential to severely impact fisheries and/or blatant disregard for
conservation and management measures. Their most frequent violations were
improper vessel marking (9), illegal shark finning (4) and improper use of or
intentional tampering with the vessel monitoring system (2).

“These fisheries patrols are vital to demonstrating the
U.S. commitment to our regional partnerships while strengthening regional
maritime governance and promoting sustainability of living marine resources,”
said Capt. Jonathan Musman, commanding officer of Mellon.

“I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done this patrol,
and it’s a direct result of the hard work of this crew as well as the continued
support of our international partners. Together, we’ve put in a lot of hours
and a lot of work, and we’ve seen impressive results because of it.”

“These fisheries patrols are vital to demonstrating the U.S. commitment to our regional partnerships while strengthening regional maritime governance and promoting sustainability of living marine resources.”

Capt. Jonathan Musman, commanding officer of Mellon

Mellon’s deployment is in support of U.S. goals for the
conservation and management of high seas fisheries resources to eliminate
illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity from the North
Pacific.

NPG 2019 showcases a multimission effort between the
Coast Guard, NOAA, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, five Pacific Rim
countries and three regional fisheries management organizations. Unlike
previous years’ operations, Mellon has conducted high-seas boardings and
inspections on the North Pacific Fisheries Commission fishing vessels, while
continuing to conduct Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
boardings.

“We’ve seen a 344% increase in boardings and 867% increase
in violations compared to last year’s operation,” said Lt. Cdr. Kristen
Caldwell, living marine resource program manager for the Pacific Area. “This
increase highlights the significance of employing differing authorities, all
aimed at mitigation of IUU fishing, capitalizing on a highly capable resource
to maximize time on scene and the targeting of IUU vessels.”

NPG 2019 was designed to conduct law-enforcement
operations in support of RFMO in the North Pacific Ocean. Through the North
Pacific Coast Guard Forum and North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission’s
enforcement coordination process, each partner nation contributes to this
at-sea enforcement effort by providing surface patrols and/or air surveillance.

This operation is in direct support of the National
Security Strategy as it aligns with the tenant of “achieving better outcomes in
multilateral forums” as well as by addressing the risks to sovereignty of
developing nations by China identified in the Indo-Pacific Region. The 2018
National Defense Strategy (NDS) also has identified China as a “strategic
competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while
militarizing features in the South China Sea.” A goal of the NDS is to “support
U.S. interagency approaches and work by, with, and through our allies and
partners to secure U.S. interests and counteract this coercion.”

Due to the increasing threat, complexity and diversity of
tactics in IUU fishing, it is critical to ensure oversight and enforcement in
regions in which the United States has jurisdiction and authority to mitigate
the rapidly developing influence of specified fleets known to engage in IUU
fishing. Efforts to increase the ability of the United States to check the
threat of IUU fishing in the Pacific Ocean have been continuous, with the
recent success of the adoption of high-seas boarding inspections (HSBI) for the
Northern Pacific Fisheries Commission and continued efforts in the Western and
Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and North Pacific Anadromous Fish
Commission’s Convention Areas.

During NPG 2019, Mellon embarked two Canadian shipriders
from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans as well as two aircrews
from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend.

Mellon, a 378-foot high-endurance
cutter with a crew of 150, is homeported in Seattle and routinely deploys in
support of counter-drug and alien migrant interdiction, living marine resources
and search-and-rescue missions.