Taiwan coast guard vessel returns after 46-day fisheries patrol

Kaohsiung, Sept. 8 (CNA) A Coast Guard vessel returned to Kaohsiung on Monday after completing a 46-day patrol mission to monitor Taiwanese fishing vessels operating in the high seas, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said.

The "Offshore Flotilla 7" departed Kaohsiung Port on July 25 for a patrol mission in the Pacific Ocean, covering areas under the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the CGA's Fleet Branch said in a news release.

Both the NPFC and WCPFC were established to conserve and manage fisheries resources, of which Taiwan is a member.

The vessel covered more than 8,198 nautical miles, roughly 15,200 kilometers.

Coast guard personnel, together with fisheries inspectors from the Fisheries Agency (FA), boarded six Taiwan-flagged distant-water fishing vessels to check for any involvement in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and other unlawful activities, the branch said.

The purpose, it said, was aimed at upholding fisheries order for Taiwanese vessels operating in the high seas of the western, central, and northern Pacific.

The patrols demonstrate Taiwan's commitment to helping conserve fisheries resources, the branch said, adding that it will continue working with the FA to monitor distant-water vessels and ensure the safety of fishermen while maintaining order on the high seas.

According to the CGA, it was the second such long-distance mission carried out this year.