October 24, 2023 — The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a dedicated unit on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in order to support the service’s expanding consultation and assistance mission in the Western Pacific. The new Illegal Unreported Unregulated Fisheries Center of Expertise (IUUF COE) is based on Ford Island in Honolulu, where it will be well positioned to advise Coast Guard units and American allies in the far reaches of the Pacific.
The service has also set up a specialized environmental response unit (Marine Environmental Response Regional Activities Center, or MER RAC) to advise partner nations’ response personnel and help them set up preparations for incidents in their own home waters.