Media Advisory

HONOLULU — The commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis is scheduled to conduct a news brief Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Sand Island to discuss his ship's recent two-month mission to enforce international fishing regulations in the South Pacific.

The commanding officer, Capt. Aaron Davenport, and his crew aboard the Jarvis supported a multinational effort to reduce illegal fishing in the South Pacific, both within individual countries’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and on the high seas. The U.S. Coast Guard cooperates with more than two dozen nations to enforce fisheries laws in the South Pacific. On this patrol, the crew directly coordinated with law enforcement representatives from French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, the Republic of Kiribati and Australia.

Crewmembers conducted multiple fisheries boardings, both under U.S. authority and in cooperation with an embarked Kiribati ship rider during this patrol. During these boardings, the crew identified a range of fisheries and safety violations, ultimately terminating two fishing vessels for operating under exceptionally hazardous conditions. 

As fines from a single fisheries boarding can reflect more than 1 percent of a Pacific Island nation’s yearly gross domestic product, and with commercial fishing being the backbone of Pacific Islanders’ fragile economies, enforcement of national and international fishing laws is critical to their well being.  Also, enforcing safety regulations preserves fishermen’s lives and increases the response effectiveness of search and rescue operations in remote locations, often hundreds of miles from land.

In addition to their high-seas missions, the crew hosted onboard receptions for many high-ranking military and political officials from both Western Samoa and Tahiti. Jarvis crewmembers also supported two community outreach projects in Apia, Western Samoa, by donating three large pallets of tsunami relief supplies to the Samoan Red Cross in support of the U.S. Navy’s Project Handclasp, and working alongside local residents to help Habitat for Humanity build traditional fala houses for families in need.

Editor's Note: Media representatives are asked to contact Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Soto at 808-535-3230 or 808-341-9849 no later than 4 p.m. Tuesday to confirm attendance.