Zero tolerance for illegal fishing: Australia

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

Despite mounting public outcry in Indonesia, the Australian government is adamant about continuing its zero-tolerance approach toward Indonesian fishermen caught in its waters.

Australia's ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer reiterated here Wednesday his government's stance on illegal fishing.

The country's laws specifically target fishermen using modern boats and industrial-grade fishing equipment.

When fishermen are caught violating Australian maritime laws, authorities generally sink their boats and destroy their equipment, Farmer said.

"However, fishermen using traditional boats and equipment are still allowed to fish in Australian waters ... specifically designated for that purpose," he said.

In 2006, Australian authorities apprehended a total of 359 ships belonging to Indonesian fishermen. In 2005, the number of crews caught violating the country's maritime laws numbered 279.

Farmer said in 2006, the Australian parliament ratified a law providing legal grounds for authorities to imprison foreign fishermen violating Australian laws.

Indonesian fishermen caught fishing in Australian waters face prison sentences of up to three years as well as the equivalent of a Rp 6.1 billion fine.

"We need to work together to ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources on both sides of the border," he said, adding that illegal fishing was a common problem that cost the Australian and Indonesian economies millions of dollars each year.

The Ambassador is currently leading a delegation of embassy officials visiting East Nusa Tenggara to strengthen cooperation in the region and inspect a number of Australian aid projects.

On Thursday morning, Farmer is scheduled to officially open a junior high school Australia funded in Nunkurus village, 50 kilometers east of Kupang.

The school is one of 2,000 schools the Australian government plans to build in the country as part of a Rp 2.5 trillion program aimed at creating 330,000 new junior high school places by mid-2009.

In recent years in Nunkurus, elementary school graduates were unable to continue their education as the nearest junior high school was more than five kilometers away with no public transport available.

Between November 9 and 11, Farmer will visit Rote Island to educate coastal communities about the Australian government's new laws on illegal fishing.

Australian Customs officials joined forces with Indonesian Fisheries officials last month to conduct groundbreaking coordinated patrols along the maritime borders of both countries in an effort to prevent illegal fishing and other transnational crimes.