Micronesia’s vast oceans are prime fishing areas for Asian countries.  Although Micronesia does their best to monitor the waters, it is very difficult to cover so much area.

PMA has a signed MOU with the government of Palau to be its Aerial Surveillance platform.  When requested, PMA will take on a Maritime Law Enforcement Officer, and go on patrol over 300 miles away from the main island.  Together with the patrol boat, a plan is made to cover all the different areas of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).  The plane can fly ahead of the patrol boat and cover a larger area in a short amount of time.  If the plane spots a target, they can radio in the coordinates to the patrol boat to come and investigate.  Photos can also be taken of the vessel registration numbers which are cross checked to verify that they have a permit.

This has been a successful method of monitoring the oceans.  If unable to apprehend the vessels, it is at least somewhat of a deterrence when they see that there is an aircraft available for monitoring.

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