Australia, the US, Japan and India will unveil a maritime initiative at the Quad summit in Tokyo to curb illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific, the Financial Times reports.
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Citing a US official, the report says the maritime initiative will use satellite technology to create a tracking system for illegal fishing from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific by connecting surveillance centres in Singapore and India.
The leaders of the Quad countries are set to meet in Tokyo this week.
According to the Financial Times report, the maritime initiative will enable these countries to monitor illegal fishing even when the boats have turned off the transponders which are typically used to track vessels.
The US-Indo Pacific co-ordinator Kurt Campbell had said earlier this month the United States will soon announce plans to battle illegal fishing in the US.
Several countries in the Indo-Pacific region chafe at China's vast fishing fleet. They say its vessels often violate their exclusive economic zones and cause environmental damage and economic losses.
Australian Associated Press