Today’s Friday photos comes to us from U.S. Coast Guard Southeast where our watchstanders at Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos, working side-by-side with a Royal Bahamas Defense Force boarding team, seized more than 12,000 pounds of illegally caught fish and lobster, from two Dominican-Republic flagged vessels, which had 83 fisherman aboard.
Fish is an essential protein source to over 40 percent of the world population. Illegal Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing undermines a nation’s ability to achieve its own domestic food security.
The U.S. Coast Guard recently released our IUU Strategic Outlook, and this recent case is a fantastic example of how we work with our partners - like the Royal Bahamas Defence Force - to eradicate this exact threat to our collective prosperity.
Bravo Zulu to all!
Coast Guard watchstanders and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force crew interdict two Dominican Republic-flagged ships illegally fishing off Diamond Point, Great Bahama Bank Sept. 17, 2020. Watchstanders from the Coast Guard's Operation Bahamas and Turks and Caicos operation center coordinated with RBDF crews to board two commercial fishing vessels, El Ship and Angel Gabriel, which had 83 fishermen aboard. (Photo courtesy of Royal Bahamas Defence Forces)
For more imagery for IUU, join the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball as they combat illegal fishing in the Pacific Ocean, their crew took over our Instagram account this week -