COOPERATION IN WCPFC HIGH SEAS BOARDING AND INSPECTION TRAINING
COOPERATION IN WCPFC HIGH SEAS BOARDING AND INSPECTION TRAINING
Koror, Palau – 26 July 2010 Once again the United States Coast Guard have come to the fore with “Exercise Sea Guardian” and their Coast Guard cutter USCGC WASHINGTON under the command of Lt. Dana Rupprecht and the US Crew to assist the Republic of Palau’s Division of Marine Law Enforcement. The USCGC WASHINGTON and the USCG training staff, under the command of Lt. Estevan Olivera, are in Koror to conduct at sea boarding and inspection training with the Republic of Palau enforcement authorities including Customs, Fisheries, Marine Law Enforcement, Immigration and Criminal Investigative Division. The training will include that required to meet the standards for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation and management measure for high seas boarding and inspection of foreign fishing vessels in the high seas of the WCPFC Convention Area. 
This year the course in Palau included 26 participants from the various law enforcement agencies for one week, including theoretical work and a large practical component including case preparation, mock boarding scenarios and mock trials, courtesy of the participation of Judges from the Supreme Court of Palau, and lawyers from the Attorney General’s Office and private practice in Palau. This demonstrates the high level of commitment Palau has to protecting its fisheries waters, as well as the cooperation and support that the USCG is providing to the Republic of Palau in this exercise. This is the second “Exercise Sea Guardian” this year in which the WCPFC has had the opportunity to participate, the last being in the Federated States of Micronesia a few months ago. The Republic of Palau and the WCPFC Secretariat wish to extend their thanks to the USCG in their efforts to enhance the capacity in the region to protect the high seas of the Convention Area from IUU fishing. Further, the Secretariat wishes the participants from the courses in both Palau and Federated States of Micronesia the very best in exercising the professionalism they have learned from this training.