The crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley detained the fishing vessel ‘Run Da’ as it was suspected of illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing activity, on Saturday June 23, in international waters 860 miles east of Hokkaido, Japan.
The US Coast Guard and People’s Republic of China Coast Guard conducted a set of pre-boarding questions over VHF-FM radio to confirm fishing activity and nationality.
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After clearance to board was obtained from both US and China, the Alex Haley boarding team deployed to assist the PRC Coast Guard investigation and to document the suspected illegal fishing activity.
The fishing vessel is suspected of violating the worldwide driftnet moratorium called for by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/215. The captain of the Run Da admitted to fishing with driftnets up to 5.6 miles in length, while the joint boarding team discovered one ton of squid and 80 tons of chum salmon on board.
The Alex Haley crew transferred custody of the ‘Run Da’ and its crew to PRC Coast Guard vessel 2301 in the Sea of Japan about 92 miles west of Japan.
