Participants in a fishing surveillance operation in the north Pacific are crediting its enhanced success to a greater level of international co-operation.
The ten-day, annual Rai Balang Operation between Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia concluded earlier this week after sucessfully trialling new procedures to counter illegal fishing.
The chief of Palau's marine law enforcement division, Captain Ellender Ngirambeketii, says all the agencies involved, including the United States Coast Guard and the Australian Navy, worked very well together.
"If only we can time the operation up north and the time of the operation down south to take place at the same time i think we can pretty much cover probably the bigger part of our Pacific water."
Captain Ellender Ngirambeketii says he's planning a repeat operation for later in the year.
