HawkEye 360, the defense technology company for space-based radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, announced it has been awarded a contract by the Commonwealth of Australia for a pilot program to provide greater maritime domain awareness in support of Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) efforts to detect and prevent Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. The contract was awarded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the provision of HawkEye 360’s satellite RF maritime analytics and training through 2023.
“The Pacific Islands encompass a vast and highly trafficked region with rich fisheries resources that present complex challenges for maritime domain awareness,” said Alex Fox, Chief Growth Officer for HawkEye 360.
HawkEye 360 will work in collaboration with the FFA and its members to provide RF data, analytics, and training to identify illicit maritime activity within their waters and help secure the ongoing sustainability of the region’s tuna resources. This includes potential IUU fishing and the detection of maritime activity not detectable by Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). The FFA, which was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in the Solomon Islands, assists its 17 member countries in the region with sustainably managing their tuna fisheries.
This award reflects Australia’s continued commitment and regional leadership for combating IUU fishing as part of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), an initiative focused on providing shared technology, training, and insight into activity in three critical regions: the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. The leaders of the Quad nations—Australia, India, Japan, and the United States—announced the initiative in 2022. The Quad is a diplomatic network between nations dedicated to supporting an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
