The Cook Islands and France to increase fisheries surveillance of the Eastern-High Seas Pocket

Friday 20th May. Discussions between MMR officials with Rear Admiral Jérôme Régnier, the Chief of Armed Forces for French Polynesia and Commandant for French Navy Forces in the Pacific, concluded with an agreement to increase surveillance of the Eastern-High Seas Pocket (E-HSP) which is located between the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Kiribati. Present during the meeting was the French Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Francis Etienne.
The program will begin on the 1st of July 2011 with the aim of controlling illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activity in the high seas pocket. The area will be monitored using various surveillance tools, as identified in the measure developed by the Cook Islands, and adopted by the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
French Navy and fisheries officials from French Polynesia will return to Rarotonga next month to finalise the cooperation. Additionally, this meeting is planned to coincide with a tri-partite discussion between the WCPFC members for France, Kiribati, and the Cook Islands in order to harmonize the E-HSP measure with national domestic monitoring, surveillance, and compliance programs. The Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and WCPFC staff will be on hand to assist.
Secretary of Marine Resources, Ben Ponia, explained that, “there is already an active joint surveillance program between the two countries. French Guardian Aircraft carry out regular aerial surveillance of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and there are an increasing number of joint sea patrols with the Cook Islands Police Patrol Boat (CIPPB) Te Kukupa.
According to Ponia, “Both the Cook Islands and France recognise that the E-HSP is a launching pad for illegal fishing and there is a genuine interest to ensure that our Commission measure to manage the high seas pocket is implemented. Admiral Régnier also reiterated our view that surveillance of the Cook Islands EEZ and the E-HSP is an extension of protecting their borders. So I believe that we have a clear understanding on the mutually beneficial arrangements for deterrence of illegal fishing activities.”
Although French Polynesia has around one hundred licensed fishing vessels, its waters are considered to be closed to those that are foreign.
Accompanying Contre Admiral Régnier was Capitaine Mopin head of Naval Forces for French Polynesia, Capitaine Desjars Commandant of La Tapageuse patrol boat, Lieutenant Manteaux and several attaché from the French Ministry of Defence.
Additionally, Secretary Ponia and his staff presented the proposed exploratory fisheries program because, “we recognise that there are certain restrictions with getting our patrol vessel to the northern and southern high seas areas where we anticipate fishing to occur, and we will have to rely on additional surveillance assets provided by countries such as France, especially in the cold and rough southern waters”. - Marine Resources Medial Release

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