Since the launch of Operation Kurukuru 2009, the number of suspicious vessels in the ten million-square-kilometre EEZ around the Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu has decreased.
The Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has been cooperating with Operation Kurukuru 2009 to share information from the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), Licence List and surveillance flights to obtain a good understanding of what is happening at sea.
Countries participating in Operation Kurukuru 2009 include Australia, the Cook Islands, france, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samo, the Solomon islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu, the US and Vanuatu.
The operation comprises a mixture of maritime resources including seven Pacific patrol boats and one French patrol boat; and aerial resources including two Orion aircraft from the Australia & New Zealand Guardian, which are equipped with radar and surveillance capabilities from the US and France.
With Operation Kurukuru 2009 in place, the FFA is able to help nations to prioritise their patrols and send officers where illegal activities are expected.
