LONDON, England: Citing a U.S. official, the Financial Times reported this week that during the Quad summit in Tokyo, the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India launched a maritime initiative to curb illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to the report, the initiative will connect surveillance centers in Singapore and India and utilize satellite technology to create a tracking system for illegal fishing from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific.
U.S. President Joe Biden visited Japan this week to attend the Tokyo meeting of the Quad group of countries, which include Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., aimed at enhancing their cooperation to counter China’s growing assertiveness.
The maritime initiative will enable these countries to monitor illegal fishing, even when boats have turned off their transponders, which are typically used to track vessels, the report noted.
Earlier this month, U.S.-Indo Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said the U.S. will soon announce plans to combat illegal fishing in U.S. waters.
Several countries in the Indo-Pacific region have accused China’s fishing fleet of violating their exclusive economic zones and causing economic losses, along with environmental damage.
