Enforcement Activities

An Enforcement Standardization Symposium was organized in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1999. The "List of Questions for Standardization of Enforcement Practices" was developed at the Symposium, assisting in planning and improving the effectiveness of HSDN patrols. The Enforcement Planning and Coordinating Meeting was held in Tokyo in 2000. During that meeting the organizational structure of the agencies primarily responsible for HSDN enforcement efforts was discussed and information on primary points of contact for HSDN cases was exchanged.

Several NPAFC enforcement events and activities were conducted in 2001, which contributed to improved enforcement cooperation and coordination: the Pre-Season Enforcement Planning Meeting held in Victoria, Canada; the ad hoc Patrol Coordination Group hosted by the US Coast Guard in Juneau, Alaska; and the Enforcement Evaluation and Coordination Meeting in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.

In 2001 the level of international cooperation was highlighted by the first ever enforcement patrol of the Convention Area by a US Coast Guard C-130 patrol aircraft staged out of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, with representatives from each of the Parties. In 2002 the Concept of Operations on the Joint Operations Information Coordination Group was adopted and the Enforcement Procedures Working Group was created to review the existing and other possible enforcement activities.

In 2003-2004 the first stage of the Integrated Information System (IIS) was developed and recommended for using on a trial basis. The IIS will allow the Parties to keep all electronic information about illegal or suspected vessels in the Convention Area on a closed website. The Parties started testing the new system in 2005.  In 2006 a joint enforcement plan was created.  A comprehensive plan resulting from the cooperative efforts of all the Parties included patrol vessel and aircraft surveillance of the convention area throughout the high threat season.  An enforcement symposium, "Patrol tactics, planning and execution of enforcement in the NPAFC Convention Area", was held in 2006.  The purpose of the symposium was to bring together enforcement professionals from each of the Parties to share lessons learned and best practices from their respective agencies. 

In 2007 the ENFO initiated a program of cooperation with the Technical Committee on Compliance (TCC) of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Fisheries Working Group of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum.

High Seas Driftnet (HSDN)

Detected/Apprehended HSDN Vessels

Despite the decline in illegal fishing operations within the Convention Area in recent years, the threat of illegal high seas fishing activities contrary to the provisions of the Convention continues, requiring the international community to remain vigilant in improving monitoring and enforcement efforts in the North Pacific.