The United States and the Independent State of Samoa on Friday signed an addendum to an existing 2012 agreement to continue and expand cooperation to tackle transnational crime at sea, including a provision that essentially deputizes U.S. Coast Guard patrols to enforce Samoan regulations within the island nation’s territorial waters.

“In partnership with Samoa, the United States stands committed to safeguarding and ensuring security of Samoa’s economic exclusive zone, by preserving its marine resources, environment, promoting sustainable development for future generations,” said U.S. Embassy in Samoa’s Charge d’Affaires Noriko Horiuchi in a statement released by the Coast Guard’s Honolulu-­headquartered District 14.

District 14 oversees all U.S. Coast Guard operations across Oceania and the Western Pacific. The U.S. Coast Guard regularly conducts operations in the waters of Pacific Island nations through “shiprider agreements,” in which local officials and law enforcement professionals ride along in U.S. vessels, giving local authorities access to U.S. personnel and resources to assist in operations.

Many Pacific Island countries lack navies or coast guards of their own, limiting their ability to patrol and enforce laws in their often vast territorial waters.

The addendum with Samoa expands cooperation on law enforcement operations and surveillance on the water, with a particular focus on fighting illegal fishing activities in Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). A key provision allows U.S. personnel to board vessels suspected of crimes in Samoan waters without shipriders.

“The enhanced maritime law enforcement agreement represents another tool for Samoa to use to help combat transnational illicit maritime activity and illegal fishing activities within its EEZ,” the U.S. Coast Guard said in its news release. “This enhanced agreement enables Samoa to request the U.S. Coast Guard to inspect vessels and enforce their coastal state regulations without a Samoan officer present. This agreement does not replace the joint work conducted with Samoan shipriders; rather, it augments the capability and plays a crucial role in protecting marine ecosystems and the sustainable livelihoods they support.”

In 2020 the U.S. Coast Guard declared that illegal and unreported fishing had surpassed piracy as the top global security threat on the high seas. The service’s then-top officer, now retired Adm. Karl Schultz, wrote that “this exploitation erodes both regional and national security, undermines maritime rules-based order, jeopardizes food access and availability, and destroys legitimate economies.”

The Coast Guard has since poured resources into fishery enforcement efforts and partnerships with countries around the world — but especially in the Pacific. In October it unveiled its new Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Center of Expertise at Ford Island.

The service is playing an increasingly important role in U.S. Pacific strategy as it seeks to compete with China for influence. It recently reassigned the 270-foot medium class endurance cutter CGC Harriet Lane from Virginia to the Pacific to serve as its “Indo-Pacific Support Cutter” devoted to Oceania.

China has worked to build up influence around the globe, bringing several countries into its Belt and Road Initiative — a series of Chinese government-funded construction and infrastructure projects around the globe. In Pacific Island nations, that includes ports to support Chinese vessels and seafood processing plants. China maintains the world’s largest fishing fleets and has become one of the largest consumers and exporters of seafood globally.

Pacific Island nations rely on fishing charters and licenses to foreign fishermen as a critical source of income for their economies and have to walk a fine line between preserving and profiting from the fish in their waters.

In late February the Harriet Lane sailed to Vanuatu, a country in the Belt and Road Initiative where China has invested heavily in fisheries. Members of the Vanuatu police who were aboard the Lane as shipriders and working with the U.S. Coast Guardmen boarded several fishing boats and found that six Chinese vessels were violating local laws, including failing to record fish caught in their logbooks. The Lane’s visit was the first time in years Vanuatu officials were able to physically inspect Chinese vessels actively fishing in their waters.

The new enhanced cooperation agreement with Samoa follows similar agreements signed by the Federated States of Micronesia in October 2022, Papua New Guinea in May and Palau in August.

In a released statement, chief of response for U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Capt. Tom D’Arcy said “we’re honored to sign this enhanced maritime bilateral agreement with our valued partner, the Independent State of Samoa … This agreement serves as a testament to the importance of maritime security in maintaining national sovereignty and regional stability, and we look forward to working even closer with Samoa to effectively address common maritime challenges in the Pacific.”