An international and interagency operation, OMSI addresses Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in EEZs of the Western and Central Pacific Region. OMSI operations locate fishing vessels of interest within the EEZ utilizing the Mobile’s manned and unmanned assets and Coast Guard maritime law enforcement officers to protect the fishing ecosystem of Pacific Island nations.
Mobile’s OMSI iteration was conducted under the authority of Federated States of Micronesia liaison and ship rider Perry Tewasmal, a Pohnpeian maritime police lieutenant. Arriving aboard by way of an MH-60R helicopter, Tewasmal lent his experience and expertise of the Micronesian EEZ to the Sailors of Mobile and the Coast Guardsman assigned to LEDET 109.
“Being present, in my country’s waters, is important,” said Tewasmal. “These operations showfishermen in our waters that we enforce our laws and regulations.”
Coast Guard Lt. Kyle Swanney, officer in charge of LEDET 109, worked in tandem with Tewasmal to identify contacts and develop initiative strategies. It was Tewasmal’s concurrence and support, Swanney explained, that permitted the initiative to take place.
“Tewasmal provided the legal jurisdiction to operate within these waters,” said Swanney. “He was my subject matter expert in the area, and I was his conduit to operations as a deployable LEDET through a Navy asset.”
Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jared Mihalcik, assistant officer in charge of LEDET 109, pointed out resources that were at Tewasmal’s disposal to conduct arrests or issue fines for IUU fishing.
“We provided him with extra tools, like transportation, extra hands and eyes to do his job,” Mihalcik said. “During OMSI, we are there to assist in his job as an authorized officer and he has a whole team of people available to help accomplish whatever he needs to.”
Other members of LEDET 109, like Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Petty Officer 2nd Class Denzel Canty, had the opportunity to work with Tewasmal and sees the value in the collaboration between the three entities.
“It’s a good thing to have the Navy and Coast Guard working together to help Tewasmal protect his country’s fishing ecosystem,” said Canty. “Being a peaceful and humanitarian presence goes a long way.”
OMSI is a Secretary of Defense program that leverages Department of Defense assets to increase U.S.Coast Guard maritime security and maritime domain awareness support in Oceania through operations in remote U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones and bilateral ship rider agreements with Pacific Island nations. Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats.