Hi
For a few months now we have been reporting Illegal Foreign Fishing Vessels (IFFVs) in our area. Some may have seen reports of Indigenous rangers in the Kimberley's, WA discovering IFFVs, often hiding in creeks and sometimes actually going ashore and camping. Concerningly, we have had the same issues around here. Apart from the illegal fishing aspect there is also a very real biosecurity risk. Indonesian has many diseases that we do not want in Australia - Foot and Mouth, Rabies etc. Last Monday we observed an IFFV in the area where we were conducting our marine research - but more about that later. Firstly, let's back up a little.
Last year we detected an IFFV near McClure Island - see the photo below. The crew were apprehended and the vessel destroyed. A couple of months ago we reported sightings of IFFVs around Croker Island and the adjacent mainland.
Around 3 weeks ago we discovered three IFFVs and one canoe hiding in the creek near where we subsequently setup our research camp - see the series of photos below. The Australian Border Force (ABF) failed to arrive and these vessels slipped away.
Attempts had been made to hide these vessels by cutting mangrove branches to cover the vessels. These photos were taken at low tide. As can be clearly seen below, the crew had been walking around the vessel. When illegal fishers actually come ashore, this raises the priority.
The water showing in the background of the photo below is part of Somerville Bay.
When we visited this area by boat a couple of days later (there is no vehicle access to this part of Croker Island), we found food packages, plastic water bottles and clothes hanging in the mangroves which would suggest that they planned to return at some stage.
The link below is to an ABC News article regarding the above IFFVs.
A week and half ago a passing sailing yacht reported to the rangers seeing an IFFV. We passed this report to the ABF who were able to respond promptly - see below the Australian war ship 'Otway' coming into Somerville Bay.
And their RIB heading off to look in the adjacent creek. They found nothing however the local rangers feel that they could not have thoroughly looked up all the many branches of this creek.
Last Monday at around 3:45am all 12 people in our research camp were woken by a loud engine noise. We believe that they were attempting to enter the creek, saw our camp and immediately turned around and departed via the channel and then to the northwest - see the line on the map below. They were not showing any navigation lights.
Shortly after daylight we observed the vessel anchored in the southwestern side of Somerville Bay - see below. As rangers we can only observe and report from a safe distance. We are not to approach these vessels.
A little later the crew were observed going ashore and breaking casuarina tree branches. All this was reported to the ABF.
Below the branches were being used to cover the vessel.
We were told that the ABF would have a plane and a vessel in Somerville Bay by late morning. Late morning came and went - no ABF.
At sunset the vessel was still there - however still no ABF. This vessel departed during the night. An ABF plane was observed flying over Somerville Bay at 5:45pm the following day, around 38 hours after the initial report! All rather disappointing!
We are definitely experiencing a spike in IFFVs in this area. Why?
Well, there a few reasons;
- Trepang (sea cucumber) is the main target fishery at the moment and they are selling for very high prices.
- On the deterrent side, Australia stopped boarding, seizing and destroying IFFVs during Covid. It is know from past experience that seizing and destroying vessels is a good deterrent. This change was noticed, prompting a change from the illegal foreign fishers.
- Along with this, the large detention centre in Darwin was closed some time ago, which now only leaves a 20 bed facility. When this facility does not have capacity, the crew of an IFFV can't been apprehended as there is nowhere to hold them while they are processed.
- When the detention facility does not have capacity, all the ABF can do is to seize catch and fishing gear and then send them back to where they came from - usually Indonesian. It is known that this does not work and that the IFFV will usually return quite quickly.
Border security and detentions centres has been and still are sensitive political issues.
The people we speak with in Fisheries Management and Biosecurity at the local level express frustration that they can't do their jobs. One person even told us that their superiors in Canberra had told them, if the detention centre does not have capacity, don't respond quickly to any reports and if you do don't look too hard. Government policy and government practice do not seem to be aligned.
In relation to border security at the moment, we seem to be in a rather weird space - somewhere between 'Yes Minister' and 'Dad's Army'.
Anyway, take care and keep smiling.
Cheers Bryan
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