Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) officers have carried out a joint patrol of Australia’s east coast to detect and deter civil maritime security threats.
Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Fourcroy was tasked by Maritime Border Command (MBC), a multi-agency taskforce within the ABF, to visit several ports along the east coast to gather intelligence and work with partners, stakeholders and the broader community to inform them about what suspicious activity to look out for and how to report it.
Commander MBC Rear Admiral Peter Laver said: “Local knowledge is a great source and is perfectly placed to recognise signs of illegal fishing, prohibited imports and other criminal attempts to breach our borders.”
AFMA’s general manager of fisheries operations Peter Venslovas added: “AFMA works closely with other government agencies including ABF and the ADF on activities like deploying fisheries officers on joint patrols to further our work in deterring and combatting illegal foreign fishing.
“Protecting the marine environment from threats of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity is one of our main priorities.”
The vessel departed Cairns on 8 February and has visited ports including Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Sydney and Brisbane.
