Vietnamese ‘blue boats’ – small wooden‐hulled fishing boats – are now entering the territorial waters of Pacific Island countries and illegally catching high‐value species found on remote coastal reefs. Crossing several international boundaries and traversing a distance of over 5000 km, these intrusions have alarmed Oceanic countries, including Australia. Lacking administrative capacity as well as jurisdictional authority to effectively control the vast stretches of island coastlines individually, governments and intergovernmental bodies in the region have called for strengthened coordination of surveillance efforts while also pressuring Vietnam diplomatically. This paper reviews these latest developments and is the first to provide a focused assessment of the issue. Through the lens of Copenhagen School of securitisation theory, we analyse responses of national and regional actors and their portrayal in online media to understand how blue boats are constructed as a security threat within a narrative of maritime, food and human security. Arguably, Australia together with the Forum Fisheries Agency, who advise on the governance of offshore tuna resources, have so far acted most decisively – in a way that might see them extend their strategic role in the region. We propose a comprehensive empirical research agenda to better understand and manage this nascent, flammable and largely unpredictable inter‐regional phenomenon.

中文翻译：

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“蓝船”和“劫匪”：对亚太地区新的海上安全威胁？

越南“蓝船”（小型木壳渔船）目前正进入太平洋岛国的领海，并非法捕捞在偏远沿海珊瑚礁上发现的高价值物种。这些入侵跨越了多个国际边界，跨越了超过5000公里的距离，使包括澳大利亚在内的大洋洲国家感到震惊。该地区的政府和政府间机构缺乏有效地单独控制大片岛屿海岸线的行政能力和管辖权，因此要求加强监督工作的协调，同时对越南施加外交压力。本文回顾了这些最新进展，并且是第一个对该问题进行重点评估的报告。通过哥本哈根证券化学派的镜头，我们通过在线媒体分析国家和地区参与者的反应及其刻画，以了解在海上，粮食和人类安全的叙述中，蓝船是如何构成安全威胁的。可以说，澳大利亚与论坛渔业局共同为近海金枪鱼资源的管理提供咨询，迄今为止，它们起着举足轻重的作用-在某种程度上，它们可能会扩大它们在该地区的战略作用。我们提出了一个全面的实证研究议程，以更好地理解和管理这种新生的，易燃的且很大程度上不可预测的区域间现象。他们为海上金枪鱼资源的管理提供建议，到目前为止，其举足轻重的举动-可能会促使他们扩大在该地区的战略作用。我们提出了一个全面的实证研究议程，以更好地理解和管理这种新生的，易燃的且很大程度上不可预测的区域间现象。他们为海上金枪鱼资源的管理提供建议，到目前为止，其举足轻重的举动-可能会促使他们扩大在该地区的战略作用。我们提出了一个全面的实证研究议程，以更好地理解和管理这种新生的，易燃的且很大程度上不可预测的区域间现象。