In June 2014, the Coast Guard and Chinese, Japanese, and Canadian law enforcement partners worked together to detect and apprehend the fishing vessel Yin Yuan on the high seas of the North Pacific Ocean, which had been displaying the characteristics of illegal large-scale high-seas drift net fishing. The CGC Morgenthau was on patrol in support of Operation North Pacific Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard’s component of a multilateral fisheries law enforcement operation. The crew of the Morgenthau intercepted and boarded the vessel with two law enforcement officials from the China coast guard’s Fisheries Law Enforcement Command and identified three suspected serious fisheries violations including: use of prohibited fishing gear of more than 3.3 kilometers of high-seas drift net, failure to maintain sufficient records of catch and catch-related data, and fishing without a license, permit, or authorization issued by a sanctioned authority. Additionally, violations of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships were also documented.
“It takes incredible teamwork among the responding units, and every second can mean the difference between an interdiction and one of the many that got away.”
More recently, CGC Rush returned from an extended deployment in the Pacific, which included the embarkation of shipriders from Tonga, Tuvalu, and Nauru to help those nations enforce their own regulations within their EEZs as well as those of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
Law enforcement boat crews comprised of U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Mounted Police personnel conducting Shiprider operations transit through Canadian waters in Boundary Pass near South Pender Island, British Columbia, Aug. 27, 2014. Shiprider provides the operational flexibility to pursue and interdict vessels across the international border by having law enforcement officers from both countries on the same vessel. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class George Degener
“These events are always time sensitive due to sighting the lancha in close proximity to the international boundary line,” said Lt. Austin Montanez, a pilot aboard the Falcon. “It takes incredible teamwork among the responding units, and every second can mean the difference between an interdiction and one of the many that got away.”
Safeguarding lives
The Coast Guard also enforces safety regulations. District 13, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, issued a notice of 13 safety violations, including four especially hazardous condition issues, to the crew of a fishing vessel during a joint law enforcement boarding with the Oregon State Police in Tillamook Bay on July 20, 2014.
The joint agency members boarded the Jimco, finding numerous safety violations as well as discovering other illegal substances and paraphernalia on the boat. The master was arrested, and another crewmember, with outstanding warrants and in possession of methamphetamines, was also arrested.
Sometimes Coast Guard law enforcement personnel’s role resembles that of local police officers. They even arrest drunk drivers. The master of the 738-foot Maltese-flagged grain carrier M/V Laconia was taken into custody when his ship was entering the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon, in 2012. Federal law prohibits operating a commercial vessel with a blood alcohol content over 0.04. When alerted by a CBP agent already aboard, a Coast Guard vessel boarding and security team came aboard and found the master of the Laconia asleep with an open bottle of whisky. His blood alcohol level was far above the legal limit.
With state and local authorities, the service also works to create awareness of boating under the influence laws. Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in recreational boater deaths in the United States. In 2009, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, in partnership with the Coast Guard, launched Operation Dry Water to help draw public attention to the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The state and local partners joined the Coast Guard June 27-29, 2014, conducting the nationwide operation.
“The mission of Operation Dry Water and the law enforcement officers who participate is to reduce the number of alcohol- and drug-related deaths on the water,” said state of Maine Marine Patrol Maj. Jon Cornish. “We are asking that boaters make sure their voyage remains enjoyable by boating sober. Too many accidents and deaths are caused by those who choose to boat under the influence.”
The Coast Guard law enforcement role covers many threats in virtually all maritime environments at home and abroad. “The Coast Guard’s layered maritime border security strategy addresses the broad range of offshore and coastal threats that have the potential to impact our national security and economic prosperity,” said Lee. “From our efforts to expand maritime domain awareness to our international and domestic partnerships, and investments in cutter, boat and aircraft recapitalization, the Coast Guard continues to improve maritime border security while facilitating the safe flow of legitimate commerce.”
This article first appeared in the U.S. Coast Guard 225th Anniversary publication, a special edition of Coast Guard Outlook.