Australia Ramps Up Fight Against Illegal Fishing Operators

The Australian Border Force has set up a new operation to target illegal foreign fishing vessels off the coast of the Northern Territory, where an increasing number of illicit Indonesian fishing operators have been spotted in recent months. 

The newly-launched Operation Lunar will work alongside a similar operation launched in December 2023 in the Kimberley Marine Park off Western Australia, and a long-running monitoring program in the Torres Strait. The new operation will draw on assets from the Australian Defence Force, the ABF, and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the agency said. 

This is an area of high activity for the ABF: so far this fiscal year, it has interdicted more than 150 fishing vessels and prosecuted more than 80 illegal foreign fishermen. 

"Illegal foreign fishers will not be tolerated in Australian waters and my message to them is clear: you will be found and we will intercept you. You will lose your catch, your equipment, potentially your vessel, and you may be arrested and prosecuted under Australian law," said Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, Commander of Maritime Border Command. 

He warned that the agency will also be watching for human smugglers who try to use illegal fishing routes, and he thanked First Nations for their assistance in spotting unlawful activity on the water. 

"I cannot emphasise enough how important local knowledge and observations of First Nations communities is in the NT, in terms our informing our work to detect foreign fishing vessels across more than 10,000 kilometers of vast coastline," he said.