Network of Australian patrol boats keeps watch for the islands

Smugglers of drugs and people could soon be the target of an Australian-funded Pacific surveillance centre that currently monitors the region's fisheries.

Tuna fishing is just one part of the watch Source: AAP

The operation in the Solomon Islands, using Australian-donated patrol boats, protects hundreds of millions of dollars in tuna-fishing income for aid-dependent nations.

Now, there are plans to add Pacific border security to its brief, with a funding boost from Australia.