PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The U.S. Coast Guard is set to begin a months-long fisheries enforcement operation with Bermuda.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Angela McShan (WPC-1135) will arrive in Bermuda on Wednesday as part of a months-long fisheries enforcement operation in partnership with Bermuda’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, The Royal Bermuda Regiment , Bermuda Coast Guard and Bermuda Police. Services.
Cutter Angela McShan will be the first of three Coast Guard vessels to patrol off Bermuda’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 230 miles from shore.
The joint operation will expand the long-standing partnership between the United States and Bermuda and emphasize the protection of the environment and living marine resources in this region.
The fishing operation is the result of recent meetings between U.S. and Bermuda officials focused on stepping up efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has been a global problem recently detected in the mid-Atlantic.
Officials say if left unenforced, IUU fishing “will threaten global geopolitical security, undermine maritime governance and impact a nation’s ability to achieve national food security.”
