In My Own Words

LTJG Eric Johnson
Assistant Operations Officer, USCGC JARVIS

Our work enforcing fisheries regulations is very important to the country and to the international community--perhaps more important now than ever before, with populations continually expanding throughout the world.

Preserving fisheries and conserving natural resources must be a joint, international effort. If we successfully enforce regulations designed to preserve resources, we can ensure that fisheries are available for the future. Because high seas drift-netting occurs in international waters, any efforts must involve the cooperation of governments.

I thoroughly enjoy being aboard USCG Cutter Jarvis. My job, assistant operations officer, provides me with daily challenges.

The operation of a high-endurance cutter and the planning are quite involved. Determining the best location to patrol, when to fly our embarked helicopter, which vessels are worth investigating, etc., is a never-ending responsibility.

You have your hand in everything and must constantly balance time, calculate distances, and sort through information to decide what to pursue. I work closely with the operations officer, executive officer, and captain to best position the cutter to carry out our mission.

If I had to pick one thing that is "best" about my job, I would say it is the immediate satisfaction of stopping a vessel from engaging in prohibited activity. When that occurs, you know that your efforts have resulted in something worthwhile.

The hours you have spent trying to decide what to recommend to the captain, reviewing your decisions to ensure you are on the right track, reading policy documents, and communicating with people to ensure the best course of action--all of it pays a dividend right then.

To me, there is no greater sense of satisfaction than the validation of your actions. *