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 2003-2006 the Integrated Information System (IIS) was developed and recommended for using.  This web-based program was designed to share enforcement information and facilitate real time enforcement efforts throughout the year.  In 2006 the first ever 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 also 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 (WCPFC) and the Fisheries Working Group (FWG) of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF).

In 2008 the first ever International North Pacific IUU workshop was held in Vancouver, Canada.  Represented were ENFO of the NPAFC, FWG of the NPCGF, TCC of the WCPFC and the International Monitoring control and Surveillance Network.  These organizations vary in membership and representation both by state and agency as well the convention provisions on monitoring control and surveillance, area and species of interest also vary.  What the agencies have in common is the stong interest protecting the natural marine resources of the Pacific Ocean and in combating IUU fishing.

In 2008-2009 Canada Started to employ a newly launched earth surveillance satellite (Radarsat 2) as a means of monitoring vessel activity with the area of interest at the NPAFC Convention Area.  Space based Automated Identification System (AIS) data has also been employed as an additional tool for enhancing the contacts provided by Radarsat 2.

In 2010 the United States initiated a bi-weekly enforcement conference call effort, which was continued in 2011 and hosted by Canadian, with participation Parties on a voluntary basis. Twenty-two conference calls were conducted during the 2010 and 2011 HSDN seasons which were an effective real-time communication tools for coordinating enforcement patrols and updating case information.
 

High Seas Driftnet (HSDN)

Detected/Apprehended HSDN Vessels