A number of foreign-flagged illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing vessels in Australia's northern waters have been targeted in a two-week operation, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a statement on Saturday, June 5.
Operation Jawline was coordinated by Maritime Border Command (MBC), a joint-agency taskforce within the ABF, with close involvement from Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).
Three ABF Cape-class patrol boats monitored an area in the vicinity of Ashmore Islands, Cartier Islet, and Scott Reef, more than 800 kilometres west of Darwin, intercepting 19 Indonesian fishing vessels over the period in May. Approximately 860 kilograms of trepang (sea cucumber) and 105 kilograms of fresh fish product were seized.
Also seized was fishing equipment, navigation aids, and petrol.
Three of the vessels were seized and disposed of at sea under Australian law, with their crew transferred to other vessels before being escorted outside of the Australian exclusive economic zone (EEZ).