RNZ: New Poseidons zoom in on illegal fishers

by Peter Griffin | 8 September 2023 | News

Boats have just 30 seconds warning before the Air Force’s new Poseidon is above them using its state-of-the-art cameras to collect any evidence of illegal fishing. With our naval patrol craft, they’re part of a massive effort in the Pacific that’s paying off.

RNZ’s The Detail podcast this week looked at how the New Zealand Airforce’s P-8A Poseidon squadron is flying over 18.2 square kilometres of ocean in search of illegal fishing boats.

RNZ reports: The FFA’s dedication to the task, and the co-operation it has enlisted from 17 member nations, has seen instances of fish piracy fall from a time of catching completely under-the-radar wooden Vietnamese fishing boats, to pulling up vessels for not strictly adhering to their licensing terms and other technicalities.

Listen to The Detail podcast in full here.