Australian to paddle surfboard from Singapore to Indonesia for villagers' charity

The Jakarta Post

SINGAPORE (AP): An Australian athlete plans to paddle a surfboard across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes this weekend to raise aid money for remote Indonesian villages.

Jackson English, 31, of Avoca Beach in New South Wales state, believes he would be the first person to "paddleboard" from Singapore to Indonesia's Batam island and back, a total of 80 kilometers.

He was scheduled to leave Singapore on Saturday morning and return Sunday.

English said by phone he hopes his feat will raise about US$300,000 in donation pledges.

He said the money the humanitarian organization SurfAid International will use the money for a boat to haul supplies and aid staff to remote villages on Indonesia's Mentawai Islands off Sumatra.

In a statement, English quoted UNESCO as saying that up to 53 percent of families in the villages had lost a child to treatable diseases like malaria, measles, tetanus or diarrhea.

He said fighting currents would be the hardest part of his paddling trip.

"The ships are going to be a hard thing, too," he added.

Massive cargo vessels constantly ply the waters between Batam and Singapore, one of the world's busiest seaports.

English, who lives in Singapore, said he will use a custom-made 5.5-meter surfboard designed for the open ocean.

"I'm going into it with the thought that a few hours of being uncomfortable is nothing compared to the suffering that the people on the Mentawai Islands get on a daily basis," he said.

He said he plans to visit the islands for the first time next week to do some surfing and "help out wherever I can."

Transportation Ministry to "sterilize" four main sea ports

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Transportation Ministry will take the necessary steps to "sterilize" four main sea ports in the country in an effort to further improve security and safety in sea transprtation, a senior ministry official said.

"We will soon take coordinative steps to sterilize sea ports. In the first phase, our efforts will cover four main sea ports, namely Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya) , Belawan (Medan) and Makassar (South Sulawesi)," H Harijogi, director general of sea transportation, said here Monday.

He said actually all sea ports in the country should already be in sterile condition under existing regulations because the condition was a contributing factor to the security and safety of sea transportation.

"The more so, because some of our sea ports are officially considered as having complied with the ISPS Code which is applied internationally. So there is no more excuse for those sea ports not to be sterile," he said.

The responsibility for sterilizing sea ports lay with the managements and administrators of the sea ports concerned. "The equipment they need to sterilize their sea ports includes metal detectors and X-ray machines," he said.

Starting April 1, 2007, the procedure to apply for a sailing permit at sterile sea ports would include the completion of a form in which there would be a special column where shipowners or skippers must declare any dangerous goods or substances their vessels are to transport.

"Harbor masters will examine this column on dangerous goods or substances and decide whether the sailing permit can be issued," he said,

In countries like Singapore, Malaysia and in Europe, the same procedure was done through an electronic port declaration but in Indonesia it would still have to be done manually, he added.

Tanjung Priok Customs Reduces Employees by 400

Monday, 26 March, 2007 | 16:58 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Customs & Excise Regional Bureau IV of Tanjung Priok Harbor will reduce the number of its employees by 400.

They will be moved to other bonded zone areas under the aegis of the Customs Directorate General.

This is related to the Customs & Excise plan to implement a one-stop service system in Tanjung Priok.

“This will be effective fromJuly,” said Anwar Suprijadi, the Director General of Customs & Excise at the Finance Department, at the Koja Container Terminal, North Jakarta, today (26/3).

According to him, under the new system, the Customs Regional Bureau IV will change into a business service bureau with one-stop system.

“Now the service is per wharf, later it will be per client,” said Anwar.

In order to implement the new system, the Customs & Excise authorities will put into effect an obedience division which has never existed before.

Its function is to monitor the implementation of an anti-corruption code of ethics.

“We will talk to the Corruption Eradication Commission tomorrow to help with the training,” said Anwar.

Heru Santoso, Head of Tanjung Priok Customs Regional Bureau IV, said that now Tanjung Priok Customs has 1,300 employees.

Under the new system, only 900 employees will be needed.

Ibnu Rusydi

Consortium for bridge construction over Sunda strait to be set up

The Jakarta Post

SERANG, Banten (Antara): The provincial governments of Banten and Lampung will soon set up a joint consortium for the development of a 29-km bridge over the Sunda Strait which will connect the Java island with Sumatra, chairman of Banten's Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), Ady Surya, said on Sunday.

"It is estimated that the bridge would be built at a cost of Rp 17.85 trillion," Surya said.

He said that the agreement to set up a joint consortium was reached during a meeting between Banten regional government officials and Lampung Governor Sachroedin ZP recently.

"Since 2004, the Lampung government already has the intention to invite the president, the finance minister, the chairman of National Development Planning Board (Bapennas) and the public works minister to discuss the plan," he said.

Unluckily, the plan has been delayed since then because it did not receive response from the Banten government, Surya said.

"Thanks God, in the current era of the new Banten governor we once again try to encourage the development of the bridge. We hope that the two local governments would have coordination meeting on the establishment of the consortium next month," headded.

Banten's DPRD Deputy Chairman Sadeli Kariem said a public expose on the development of the bridge would be conducted before the government officials of Lampung and Banten, and relevant ministers at the Banten DPRD building, hopefully next month.

"The presentation will be held to gain support and to obtain inputs from various sides over the plan to develop the Sunda Strait bridge," he added.

He said that after the presentation, the two regional government officials would hold a coordination meeting to discuss their respective roles in the bridge development.

The Sunda Strait is one of the busiest waterway in Indonesia which links the two islands economic and social activities.

Israeli firm: Seaweed could be used to solve energy crisis

By Ofri Ilan, Haaretz Correspondent

The dramatic increase in the price of fuel in recent years has succeeded where many environmental groups have failed: It convinced many firms around the world to seek alternative sources of energy. One of the cheapest alternatives, already commercially available, is the production of fuel from a variety of agricultural produce, mostly corn.

However, the increase in the demand for corn has also caused a significant price hike and developing nations' populations are experiencing difficulties obtaining corn for consumption.

It is now possible that new technology may offer a solution to the problem, which Israeli firm Seambiotic Ltd. revealed earlier this week. The technology allows the production of commercial quantities of fuel from a surprising source, one that will not undermine global food sources: seaweed.

The new technology unveiled by the firm at an international conference on marine biotechnology that opened on Sunday in Eilat, allows the industrial cultivation of seaweed through the use of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

Instead of allowing the polluting gas -one of the main contributors to global warming- to escape into the atmosphere, the gas passes through a filtration process and enters a pool, where it feeds microscopic seaweed. The seaweed is used to produce fuel.

According to the scientists who developed this technology, it is possible to produce a liter of fuel for every five kilograms of seaweed.

The technology was developed in the experimental farm set up by Seambiotic Ltd. three years ago in the compound of the Ashkelon power plant, with the support of the Israel Electric Corporation.

The seaweed pools are situated several hundred meters from the power plant smokestacks, and are filled with sea water that is used to cool the plant's turbines. The seaweed used is found in the Mediterranean in small concentrations, but the carbon dioxide allows it to grow in the pools at a concentration of one million times greater.

Last week, the company filed a technology patent in the United States.

"In the scientific literature, it is stated that it is impossible to grow seaweed through the use of carbon dioxide from power plants, because of the large quantities of pollutants released from the smokestacks," says Amnon Bachar, director of Seambiotic.

"But it appears that whoever wrote that does not know how to grow seaweed. We have found that seaweed can grow on the basis of the carbon dioxide being emitted from power plants. We get the carbon dioxide for free, and the power plant produces less pollution," he said.

The use of carbon dioxide reduces the cost of production radically, to about 50 cents per kilo of seaweed.

Nature conservationists focus on seagrass to preserve eco-system

By Noor Mohd Aziz, Channel NewsAsia | 24 March 2007 2157 hrs

SINGAPORE: There is a new conservation buzz in town, and it is all about seagrass.

It is pure unbridled passion for nature conservation that has brought a group of nearly 30 volunteers together on a hot Saturday afternoon.

They are attending a workshop on documenting and collecting specimens of seagrass.

For the uninitiated - seagrass is a flowering marine plant.

Found mostly around Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin, it acts as a buffer between the coral grove and the mangrove swamp.

It is also found at the Pulau Semakau landfill - where they provide food for marine animals - and act as a nestling ground for small fish.

"Seagrass help support our biodiversity and they help support our fish and prawn and other animals," says Dr Len McKenzie, Principal Scientist and Seagrass-Watch Programme Leader.

"They are also supporting our endangered species like dugong and turtle which certainly pass through the waters of Singapore as they move between Malaysia and Indonesia. So it is very important that Singapore retain some of these green pockets of Seagrass, if you like, to ensure the sustainability of our ocean, sustainability of our fisheries and sustainability of our endangered species," Dr McKenzie continues.

This humble seagrass has also put Singapore on the world map.

Nearly one-sixth of all seagrass species is found in Singapore - including half of all species in the Indo-Pacific region.

"That's the area stretching all the way from India all the way to the North America, and South America. So it is an important component of global bio-diversity," says Dr Nigel Goh, Head (Marine), NParks.

The volunteers are up early the next morning to take a trip to Pulau Semakau to see firsthand, the seagrass habitat.

Says Siti Maryam Yaakub, Team Seagrass Coordinator, "Team Seagrass covers a new niche in the local conservation scene because the past 5-10 years or so since Chek Jawa had been put on deferment, you actually have a lot of awareness programmes and, I think that a step ahead of awareness is actually being proactive in monitoring the environment, in doing something tangible. So that's how Team Seagrass actually fills the niche and that's why we have so many volunteers as well."

Another volunteer has been publishing books on Singapore's eco-system and donating the proceeds, as much as $70,000, to nature and marine research.

Another $50,000 from his latest book, "Singapore's Splendour-Life on the Edge" has also been committed.

"After I joined the nature society, I was shown whole areas of Singapore that have so much diversity. Chek Jawa first came into the picture then and I was looking at Chek Jawa and that got me started working on the project and got me seeing many things in Chek Jawa which many people never saw because in Chek Jawa and in the inter-tidal areas, we went in very early in the morning - three, four o'clock - and a whole host of things running around, feeding, mating, avoiding us, running all over the place," says Dr Chua Ee Kiam, volunteer and author of "Singapore's Splendour".

"So there is so much, much to see unlike the public which goes in at three, four o'clock in the afternoon-so many things would have hidden.

"When I saw so many things, I decided to document this and this area, and these creatures and after that, decided to do a book on this so that Singaporeans can see for themselves."

And who knows, as Singaporeans become more aware of the rich marine environment around them, this live classroom sessions may well attract more volunteers.

JUST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

The Jakarta Post

Dozens of people wave Chinese flags at the crew of China's navy ship the Lian Yun Gang, anchored at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta on Friday.

The Lian Yun Gang, along with sister ship the San Ming, is in Jakarta until Monday.

The ships' visit to the city is their first in 12 years, and part of a Southeast Asian tour. JP/J. Adiguna

Govt to add 10 hours of power to islands

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After decades of being untouched by development, Kepulauan Seribu regency in North Jakarta will soon be in the spotlight.

The installation of undersea power cables next year is set to brighten up life on the regency's islands, with the provision of electricity 24 hours a day.

The Jakarta administration plans to establish a medium-power electricity network reaching from Teluk Naga on Untung Jawa to Lancang and Tidung islands.

"This year we will invest Rp 114 billion (US$ 12,5 million) in the project," Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said Friday at City Hall.

Fauzi said the money to finance the 43-kilometer undersea power cable project would come from the 2007 city budget.

"The project is expensive because all the cables are imported," he said, adding that by 2009 every island of the regency would have adequate electrical power.

Currently, Kepulauan Seribu, which has some 20,000 inhabitants, is supplied with electricity for only 14 hours a day from a diesel generator at a cost of Rp 40 billion to the city administration.

"This project is the first cooperation between the city administration and PLN in the regency," Fauzi said, adding that the administration was funding the network procurement and PLN would manage distribution.

He said they would soon hold a tender for the project and hopefully, midway through the year, the development process would start.

The administration will use a pre-paid system, as in the use of cell phones, to keep electricity usage under control once the project is finished.

"Residents will buy a kind of account card as in the pre-paid cell-phone system to activate the electricity," Fauzi said.

Although the name Kepulauan Seribu means thousand islands there are in fact 105 islands stretching 45 kilometers north into the Java Sea with the closest lying in Jakarta Bay, only a few kilometers off mainland Jakarta.

On average, the islands are less than 10 hectares in total and less than three meters above sea level.

A number of islands have been developed as tourist resorts, and islands in the northern part of the regency have been zoned as a national marine park to preserve underwater resources.

As a tourist destination, Kepulauan Seribu is striving to build proper facilities on the islands, including an airport.

In 2005, Kepu;auan Seribu Regent Djoko Ramadhan cited his plan to build an arport in Pulau Panjang and had started the tender process, but up to now there has been no significant progress in the project.

Technology brings the sea closer to home

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post

The bright side of the city's water shortages is that people are now exploring alternative sources to groundwater.

One alternative is to build water desalination plants to turn seawater into potable water.

"It is possible because the technology is available in Indonesia. For desalination plants, the technologies applied include reverse osmosis technology as well as distillation," Sakt A. Siregar, Siemens Water technologies business development manager, said Friday.

Germany-based Siemens provided the technology for Singapore's water desalination plant.

Sakti said a water desalination plant could supply a large amount of water, depending on its size. "An average sized one can supply around 100 liters of water per second."

Desalination is a process that removes dissolved minerals -- including but not limited to salt -- from seawater, brackish water or treated wastewater. A number of technologies have been developed for desalination, including reverse osmosis (RO), distillation, electrodialysis and vacuum freezing.

Currently, Jakarta's main water supply comes from raw water sources located in Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang, as well as Jatiluhur Dam in West Java.

Haryadi Priyohutama, the director of city water company PAM Jaya, has said there is no guarantee the dam will have the capacity to supply Jakarta in the long term.

Jakarta uses 16 cubic meters of water per second, while Jatiluhur Dam, in Purwakarta, West Java, has the capacity to supply 14 cubic meters per second.

It is estimated that by 2009 the city will be using 21.6 cubic meters of water per second. By 2015, demand will have reached 42 cubic meters of water per second.

The Jakarta administration has said the city suffers a water deficit of 36 million cubic meters per year from the total demand of 400 million cubic meters a year.

Sakti said many of the country's industries, such as petrochemical industries and power plants, had already built desalination plants to meet their water needs.

He said that building municipal desalination plants might be a good alternative for the city to consider. However, he doubted that would happen in the near future considering the plan required a capital investment of millions of dollars.

"For Jakarta I think the trend will be clustered desalination plants. The plants won't be constructed by municipalities, but by industries for their own source of water."

He said the management of Ancol amusement park, which is situated on the northern coast of Jakarta, was planning to build a desalination plant for its own use.

"That's what the trend will likely be."

Indonesian Navy seizes three Chinese ships

SURABAYA (Antara): The Indonesian Navy has seized three Chinese fishing boats, which illegally caught fish in Indonesian waters, a navy official says.

Spokesman of the Indonesian Navy's East Fleet Lt. Toni Syaiful said Wednesday an Indonesian warship had to release warning shots to stop the three Chinese ships, which tried to escape to Australian waters.

"Mandau Warship could arrest the boats, which have tried to escape through borderline between Australia and Indonesia," Toni was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

The three trawlers are Liao Dagan Yu 8989, Liao Dagan Yu 15126 and Liao Dagan Yu 15127.

Mt. Batutara erupts

AKARTA (Antara): Mount Batutara located on Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), erupted as of March 17, 2007, and is declared off-limit to local fishermen used to transit on the island, a local official said.

The eruption of Mt Batutara was still going on and it would be dangerous for fishermen trying to approach the island for a transit, Head of the National Geology Agency's Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) Dr Surono saidThursday.

Mt. Batutara, which is 750 meters above the sea level, is currently on the alert status or the second level, he said.

"Lembata Island has no inhabitants, but it is often used as a transit area by local fishermen," he said.

After receiving information from local fishermen about the eruption of the volcano on March 17, 2007, volcano observation officers tried to approach the island to check the condition of the mountain, which spewed volcanic materials up to 1,500 meters high.

"However, up to mow, our staff could not approach the island at a close distance because of huge waves," he said.

13 foreign firms to invest $120.5m in fishing sector

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A total of 13 overseas companies from China, Thailand and Australia are to invest a total of US$120.5 million in fishing and fish processing ventures around the country, an official from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry says.

"The planned investments comprise fishing operations and the building of fish processing plants in Indonesia as under our current regulations, if they want to fish in our waters, they have to process the fish here," ministry spokesman Saut P. Hutagalung told reporters Friday.

He said that four of the 30 companies had already obtained permits and commenced fishing, with their catches being processed in collaboration with domestic processing firms.

Saud said that the companies would be permitted to use existing processing facilities prior to the construction of their own plants.

The companies have selected Jambi, East Java, Jakarta, Merauke in Papua, and Ambon in Maluku as their processing bases.

Last year, the government issued a decree requiring foreign fishing firms to establish fish processing plants if they wanted to fish in Indonesian waters.

The rule was introduced in light of the fact that most of the fish caught by foreign vessels here in the past ended up being processed abroad, with the state only receiving US$48 per ton of fish caught.

Saut said that besides the overseas investors, 15 local firms had committed themselves to investing around Rp 1.4 billion, with most of them still waiting for the necessary permits.

"However, three companies have already obtained permits, and will begin operations soon,' he added.

Saut said that the ministry believed that the combined investments would provide jobs for some 23,000 local people.

"This is a direct result of the new regulations. And we believe more investment is on the way," he said.

Saud stressed that the fishing licenses of Chinese firms that had been granted under the old rules would not be renewed.

"The licenses for Thailand and the Philippines expired last year while those for China will do so in July. We will not renew these licenses. Instead, they will have to comply with the new arrangements if they wish to fish in Indonesia waters," he explained.

Lombok entrepreneur helps environment and turns a profit

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Hundreds of fishing boats bob in the waters off Ampenan Beach in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. It is a classic sight, one little changed over the years. These boats also serve as a reminder of the relationship between fishermen and the forest; their dependence on the forest for the raw ingredients for the boats on which they depend to earn a living.

To produce a fishing boat measuring 10 meters in length and one meter in width, workers need trees that are at least 120 centimeters in diameter and 15 meters in length. The truth is, it takes a tree dozens of years, at the least, to reach such a size.

With old boats having to be replaced every several years, and with more and more boats being made as more people turn to fishing to earn a living, a lot of trees are being cut down for fishing boats.

Chaerudin, 52, from Ireng village, Gunungsari district in West Lombok, considered this problem and decided the best solution was to find some other material that could be used to make the boats, thus helping to preserve the country's forests.

Though Chaerudin comes from a fishing family, he was working for a furniture company in Ampenan in the 1980s when he hit upon his idea and began making his first boats from fiberglass.

"It's hard to find timber to make boats now because most of our forests have been over-logged. It is especially difficult to find the bae and suren trees that are most suitable for boats," he said.

Using the skills he picked up watching and helping his fisherman father over the years, Chaerudin being repairing fishing boats using fiberglass.

A wooden boat can only last four or five years before the hull starts to rot and spring leaks. Chaerudin repaired the leaks with fiberglass, but that was only a stopgap measure because more leaks would eventually pop up along the rotting hull.

"I thought then about what would become of fishing families if there were no more boats because there was no more timber to make them with. That was when I started experimenting, using a process of trial and error, with making boats from fiberglass," he said.

Chaerudin already had the boat making skills from his father, but what he needed was the capital to purchase the raw materials to get his business started.

With his savings from his job at the furniture company and his earnings from repairing boats, he managed to buy a mold and fiberglass materials.

A year later, in 1981, Chaerudin had made his first fiberglass boat.

"Even after completing the boat, I found it very hard to market it. The fishing community here is used to wooden boats, and I knew it would be very difficult to break the tradition," he said.

But Chaerudin was determined. So while he repaired wooden boats to earn extra money, he continued making his fiberglass boats, fine-tuning his design to perfection.

His efforts eventually bore fruit. A fiberglass boat which he left moored on Meninting River behind his house attracted someone's attention.

A foreign tourist, crossing Meninting Bridge toward the Senggigi resort area, happened to notice the boat. He approached Chaerudin and expressed his interest in the boat, which was enough encouragement for Chaerudin to continue pursuing his dream.

Chaerudin may now be considered established. He owns a fiberglass workshop, in which 20 employees build boats, from simple fishing boats to trawlers and express ferries.

"We were able to build an express ferry measuring 27 meters long and six meters wide in 2000, which is licensed to serve the Lombok-Bali route. But due to the drop in tourist arrivals, it is no longer in service," he said.

He also builds boats for pearl farmers in Lombok and tour agencies in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara. He also receives orders for fiberglass bathtubs and other household goods.

His efforts have allowed Chaerudin to provide for his family, including sending all seven of his children through school, with four of them currently at university. When the Post recently visited his workshop near Meninting Bridge, a number of employees were working on a boat ordered by a Dutch tourist.

There were also three fiberglass fishing boats nearby, ordered by the West Nusa Tenggara Fisheries Office.

Chaerudin is proof that you can make a good living without tearing down the environment in the process.

High int`l demand for Indonesian fishery commodities

New York (ANTARA News)- International market demand for Indonesian fishery commodities is quite high but producers in Indonesia find it difficult to meet the demand, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry spokesman Martani Huseini said in Boston on Wenesday.

Martani said overseas market demand for fish from Indonesia, especially fresh water white-flesh fish, was quite high at present.

He said "Nila" or Tilapia fish, a genus of an African fresh warter fish, from Lake Toba in North Sumatra was the best in the world.

According to Martani, fishes from Lake Toba were of high quality.

"That is the difference. Nila fish from Indonesia does not smell muddy," Martani said on the sidelines of an "International Boston Seafood Show & Seafood Processing America" at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachussets.

He admitted that international market demand, especially from the United States, for Indonesian Nila fish was high but in its ability to meet it, Indonesia was lagging far behind Vietnam, China and Thailand.

Meanwhile, the agriculture attache at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC, Metrawinda Tunus, said US markets were wide open to Indonesian fishery commodities.

He said 80 percent of sea food products in the United States was imported.

"So, markets are not a problem. The problem in Indonesia is lack of raw material and therefore fresh water fish cultivation in the country should be stepped up," Metrawinda said.

He said the lack of raw material was experienced by at least three fishery companies, namely PT Kemilau Bintang Timur, PT Dharma Samudera Fishing Industries Tbk, and Windika Utama Group which are participating in the Boston exhibition.

PT Kemilau Bintang Timur President Director Lalam Sarlam said international market demand for "Ikan Kakap Merah" (Red Snapper) was high but his company was unable to meet the demand all the time.

According to latest data, the total value of fishery products exported from Indonesia to the United States in 2006 was US$785.97 million or up by 7.39 percent from the previous year.

Shark with webbed feet

BY TAN SIN CHOW, The Star Online

Has anyone ever seen a baby shark with webbed feet? A worker of the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) in Batu Maung, Penang, made this unusual find when she was given the 1.7kg fish by a fisherman at the jetty recently.

Mary Looi, 48, said she only realised the shark was different when she wanted to cook tomyam fish for lunch for her family.

"It was only when I was about to cut the shark the day after I received it that I found two webbed feet sticking out from the lower part of the body.

“The shark is one-metre long,” she said.

Looi said she dared not cook the fish after consulting her husband Gooi Man Kaw, 57, who told her that according to Chinese belief, eating fish with unusual features could bring disaster or ill luck.

“Immediately, I returned the fish to the fisherman that night at about 10pm.

“He threw it back into the sea,” said Looi.

Looi, who has been working at LKIM for 10 years, said this was the first time she had stumbled upon such an unusual find.

When contacted, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Muka Head marine research station head Prof Dr Zulfigar Yasin said this is the first time he had heard of fish with legs found in the Malaysian waters.

“There is a possibility that the fish could have swum from other waters into Malaysian waters.

“As far as I am concerned, fish species with legs or bony fins can only be discovered in the waters of North Sulawesi in Indonesia or South Africa,” he said.

President holds dialog with farmers, fishermen in NTT

West Maggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a dialog with East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) farmer and fisherman groups and provided them with working capital, equipment and seaweed seedlings here on Wednesday.

On arrival at West Manggarai District`s Labuan Bajo airport, the president and his party were welcomed by NTT Governor Piet A Tallo and regional government officials.

The head of state was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono, Maritime Affaris and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi, Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Health Minister Siti Fadila Supari and Presidential Spokesman Andi Mallarangeng.

Yudhoyono held the dialogs with the farmers and fishermen at the fish auction center of Labuan Bajo seaport.

In the afternoon the president would be briefed by Manggarai district head Christian Rotok on the handling of the recent landslides in Manggarai.

At least 41 people were killed and 34 others went missing in the landslides which took place in the district earlier this month.

The landslides and flash floods that occurred in Manggarai district from March 1 to 3, 2007, forced some 5,231 people to evacuate to safer places.

The disaster also damaged 67 houses, school buildings and farming areas. "Downpours and fog covering the area have hampered rescue efforts. I am pessimistic about the possibility of evacuating them as the bad weather continues," Manggarai District Head Christian Rotok said.

18 fishermen stranded in Kupang after deported from Australia

The Jakarta Post

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (Antara) : A total of 18 fishermen from Papua and Southeast Sulawesi provinces are still stranded in Kupang after they were deported from Australia for illegally entering Australian waters.

The fishermen Tuesday came to the office of the East Nusa Tenggara Social Agency to seek help.

"We do not have any money to return home. Therefore, we come here," Rusmansyah, one of the deportees, said in the disaster post of the East Nusa Tenggara Social Agency.

They were deported from Australia on Sunday. The Australian government seized their boats and other belongings. They were deported after finishing their jail terms.

Head of East Nusa tenggara Social Agency Fransiskus Salem said that his office allocated funds to help fishermen, who were deported from Australia. He said his office had so far help some 3,000 fishermen, mostly from Sulawesi and Papua islands.

Govt to continue policy to limit of operational ships` age

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Transportation Department will continue implementing its policy to limit the age of operational ships in the country to a maximum of 25 years, a spokesman said.

"But the policy will be applied in a flexible way," M Harijogi, director general of sea transportation, said here Monday.

The policy would also be executed with due consideration of a ship`s actual condition and the way in which it was maintained, he said.

"This means a ship that has reached the maximum age limit will first be subjected to a comprehensive inspection. If the vessel proves to be still in good condition, it will be allowed to remain in service," he added.

But if the ship is in bad condition, it will definitely be prohibited from further transporting people because of the safety risks involved, Harijogi said.

He explained the department had not yet issued a relevant regulation as the matter was still being studied. In addition, the rule would be applied only to passenger ships.

The maximum age limit for ships would be part of a plan to review the existing rule on the age limit of aircraft which is now deemed necessary in light of the recent series of transportation accidents in the country.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian National Shipowners Association (Inaca) has rejected the government`s plan to put a limit on the age of ships that can be operated.

The measure would curtail the national shipping industry`s capability to invest in new ships, Inaca said, adding that accidents had nothing to do with the age of ships.

Harijogi admitted that a ship`s age was more likely to affect its performance in terms of engine power, speed, and fuel consumption (than its safety).

The factor that was directly related with a ship`s safety was its maintenance but then it was also common knowledge that Indonesian shipping companies` performance in the maintenance of their ships was still low, Harijogi said.

RI needs economic growth-oriented marine policies: Minister

The Jakarta Post

Over half of Indonesian territory consists of water. The successful maintenance of the aquatic ecosystem will benefit not only the people who depend on it for their livelihoods, but the environment of Indonesia as a whole, if not that of the world. The Jakarta Post's Agustina Wayansari recently talked to Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi about the country's marine resources and their importance to the Indonesian people.

Question: Marine resources are the most abundant natural resource in our country. How can we help this sector help the people?

Answer: We impose policies which are pro poor people to alleviate poverty, pro job provision, and pro growth, which means they are economic growth-oriented. All these policies are implemented to improve the welfare of fishermen and people in coastal areas.

We also try to contribute more to the national economy through the maritime and fishery sectors, as well as to shape quality maritime natural resources and supporting resources.

Another program is to increase the consumption of fish among the people in this country, which is still considered very low despite the fact that we're a maritime country.

In short, the development programs in the maritime and fishery sectors include: empowering fish farmers and other people active in the maritime and fishery sectors; a program for the management and development of maritime and fishery resources, and a program for the conservation and monitoring of maritime and fishery resources.

Could you elaborate on the poverty alleviation policy?

It is a policy that aims to provide jobs and alleviate poverty. I'll take catfish cultivation in the dry area of Gunung Kidul regency in Yogyakarta as an example. Considering that the demand for catfish in the province is very high, we introduced catfish cultivation in 2005 and so far it has financially benefited the community. The people, including women, have developed a number of processed foods, such as dried shredded catfish and catfish crackers.

I am pretty sure that this kind of cultivation program will be useful in eliminating poverty in coastal areas. I also believe that the program will run smoothly if we continuously motivate the people by showing them that the program will bring economic benefits; that they will get money, so they can send their children to school. In Gunung Kidul, one pond can generate between Rp 1 million (US$108.9) to Rp 1.5 million during the harvest. It takes approximately 45 days for a new batch of fish to be ready for harvest.

We also introduced this cultivation program in other regions with different fish. In Jambi, patin (big catfish) is the choice, while in Riau people like grouper. In several other regencies in Sumatra, nila (orechromis niloticus) fish is the favorite.

How big is our fishery potential? Or have we already utilized it fully?

We haven't made the most of our potential. Let's say for fisheries, that we have a potential of 6.4 million tons per year, yet we now only take 3.8 to 4.8 million tons per year.

I think this happens because we still use traditional equipment. Therefore, the ministry is running a modernization program for fishing equipment to help fishermen maximize their catches. We assist them with modern boats, nets, and other equipment. However, we have found fishermen in several places in Indonesia refuse this modernization. They prefer their old traditional boats rather than the motorized ones. This happens in Sibolga, North Sumatra.

In order to maximize the impact of modernization, we also run empowerment programs among fishermen in several places. We provide them a big boat enough for a group of 15 people. The group will be given training for management of their catches, so the fish will still be fresh when they are sold in the market. With traditional boats, fishermen go to the sea in threes and thus catch fewer fish than when they use modern boats that are equipped with better facilities.

It's rather difficult to impose this modernization policy in eastern Indonesia and we have to do it. We have no problem in Java.

That about the budget for this modernization program? Could you tell us more about the allocation?

Last year, we had Rp 2.6 trillion, while this year we have Rp 3.2 trillion.

The budget is not enough of course, but we understand and keep trying to allocate an adequate amount for the modernization program. We have managed to do it gradually and by turns in different places across the country. Recently, we granted 600 motor boats to fishermen in Padang, West Sumatra.

We hope that fishermen can increase their productivity with modern equipment because they can go fishing twice a day. With a traditional boat, they can only make one trip. So, modernization is very important.

What is this biggest problem in regards to destructive fishing practices?

I have seen that the problem lies in the regulations. We need to make better regulations that can accommodate business interests but with better rules of the game. Previously there was no regulation requiring fishing companies to build factories in Indonesia. Foreign fishing companies just caught and took the fish away from us, which was not helping to alleviate poverty in our country. Thus, we need to change the pattern, requiring the companies to open factories here because it would have more value by providing job opportunities for the people. We accommodate their business interests, but at the same time they provide job opportunities for the people and pay taxes. That's what we call a multiplier effect. I hope this policy can increase investment from countries like Taiwan, the Philippines and China.

How is progress so far?

So far so good. We have found that a number of the factories built lack raw materials because many limited their boats' activities after the fuel price increase. We are still glad, however, that our exports remain good. This year, our exports from the fishery industry have been increasing and reached US$ 3.5 billion.

BMG warns of high waves in central Indonesia's waters

DENPASAR (Antara): The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Friday warned that high wave up to four meters may occur in the waters of southern Java, West and East Nusa Tenggara in the next few days.

"The high waves are very dangerous for all ships passing those areas," said Diana Anggariati, a BMG officer in Bali provincial capital of Denpasar.

She said that worse areas include Java and Bali seas as well as Bali and Lombok straits.

High waves and strong wind have hit Bali waters and its surroundings since several days ago, disrupting shipments and fishing activities.

N. Sulawesi to promote marine wealth potential

Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

The North Sulawesi administration, with the support of Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang, is going all out to rally international support to hold the World Ocean Summit in Manado in 2009.

As an initial step, it invited a number of domestic and foreign experts to attend the International Seabed Authority (ISA) seminar in Manado on Monday to discuss benefits of minerals and other resources in marine areas beyond national boundaries.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi, who inaugurated the four-day seminar, said in his keynote speech, "This seminar is an important meeting in that it broadens our thoughts in looking for new marine resources."

"Although mineral, oil and gas resources on land and at sea within the limits of our national jurisdiction are still available, members of the international community have been endeavoring to find new resources to support the growing need for industrial minerals."

He said that the country lacked experience in the field and hoped to learn from experts about seabed mineral resources, the rules and regulations governing them and the latest state-of-the-art technology available.

Freddy also said that in the Celebes Sea north of Manado indications of hydrothermal sulphide deposits have been found. In the Banda Sea, magnesium nodule deposits have been detected and gas hydrates have been recorded on seismic sections collected from the seabed in the western part of Sumatra and to the south of Java.

"However, in anticipating the need for national development in the industrial sector, we must expand our horizons in seeking new marine resources such as polymetalic nodules, polymetalic sulphides, metal crusts of seamounts, methane hydrates and genetic resources of the ocean as the next frontier in the development of marine resources," said Freddy.

He said four important factors needed to be addressed before exploiting seabed mineral resources.

Technological knowledge and components need to be mastered and developed, a competent team will be required to meet the challenge of exploring this new frontier, environmental impacts related to exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals need to be determined, as do the legal ramifications of the endeavor, he said.

Freddy hoped domestic stakeholders would benefit from knowledge and awareness generated by the meeting and realize the potential to develop international cooperation in the field.

North Sulawesi Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang and his staff were present at the opening of the seminar, which was attended by 110 participants from 14 countries. Among the participants were ISA secretary-general Satya Nandan from Jamaica and speakers Hasyim Djalal from Indonesia, ISA vice secretary general Nii Allotey Ondunton, M. Syam Prasad from India, Mike Johnson from Australia, Shenh Xieng from China and Kim Juniper from Canada.

The seminar, which runs until Thursday, was organized by the Maritime and Fisheries Research Agency, in cooperation with the North Sulawesi administration and the ISA Secretariat. A workshop is also planned to discuss the potential mineral wealth on the Indian and Pacific ocean beds.

Beach cities pilot disaster management

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has been organizing training in four Indonesian cities as part of a disaster prevention and management pilot project.

The ministry has chosen four locations, all well known for their beaches, for the training -- Padang in West Sumatra, Serang in Banten, Denpasar in Bali and Lombok Tengah in West Nusa Tenggara.

"There is no method as yet on setting priorities in disaster prevention measures," said Subandono Diposaptono, head of the Sub-directorate for the Mitigation of Disaster and Environmental Pollution at the ministry.

Subandono told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that most people were clueless when it came to disaster management and mitigation.

"People still don't know what kind of disaster prevention is most important in their areas."

"We've gone to those areas five times in over five months to teach them what they have to do when a disaster occurs and also on mitigation efforts. We have also established a strategic plan," Subandono said.

The project involves officials from the central and local governments, local people and ethnic minority groups, experts and NGO activists.

Subandono said the project started in February and is slated to finish in September.

"The areas selected have the potential for tsunamis and landslides. We chose Padang because it is located at the center of the province and it's also the center for local administration," he said.

"Denpasar was chosen because of its unique tourism. Serang because of its industry and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara because of its fisheries and maritime biodiversity."

Meanwhile, Indonesian Society for Disaster Management (MPBI) head commissioner Sugeng Triutomo said the fisheries ministry's project in coastal cities and regencies was only part of national disaster management efforts.

He said other government institutions, such as the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and the Forestry Ministry also had disaster management projects.

"Many Indonesian people are more responsive than preventative when it comes to disasters. We need to change the mind-set of the Indonesian people to be readier when disasters happen," he told the Post.

He said a draft law on disaster management could be passed by the House of Representatives as soon as the end of this month.

"MPBI has been involved in the preparation of the draft law with the House. We've given them strategic and conceptual inputs for the future disaster management law," he said, adding that many local administrations were not yet ready to comply with the disaster management law if it comes into effect.

Sugeng said the national disaster management plan had to be in accord with the Hyogo disaster management resolution, which came out of a conference on disaster reduction in Japan in 2005.

More than 200 foreign crew to be deported

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will deport more than 200 crew of foreign vessels captured after illegally poaching fish in the country`s waters.

A senior official of the ministry of fishery and marine resources, Willem Gaspersz, said here on Monday the crew were now detained at ports close to where they were captured.

He said there were at present 104 crew from Vietnam in Natuna, 23 also from Vietnam in Pontianak, 102 in Pemangkat, West Kalimantan, and several others in eastern Indonesian regions such as Tual."

The men were captured for illegally fishing in the country`s waters in 2005 and 2006, he said.

He said the government had to allocate Rp15,000 for food for each of them from the national budget.

He said in order not to burden the state budget he had suggested deporting them immediately after the court issued rulings on them.

He said there were also fishermen from Thailand that had been captured but they had all been deported.

He said two vessels from China namely Fu Yuang Yu F68 and Jong Liong were recently seized for poaching fish in eastern Arafura waters.

A total of 2,700 tons of fish were discovered on board the vessels when they were seized, worth more than Rp50 billion, he added.

Merak Port asks for new technology

The Jakarta Post

In the wake of the Levina I inferno that killed dozens of ferry passengers off Jakarta's coast last week, Merak Port authorities in Banten have proposed to the central government that it tighten ticketing systems and equip ticketing booths with scanning devices.

Port administrator Dalle Effendi said last week the proposed system would help the port maintain accurate passenger manifests and prevent vehicles carrying inflammable and other dangerous materials from being allowed on board ferries.

"Currently, most vehicles that use our ferry services to cross the straits carry some passengers who did not buy tickets and therefore have not been registered on the passenger manifest.

"That is why we never hold an accurate number of passengers on board of each vessel," Dalle said.

Authorities at North Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port insisted that the Bangka Island-bound roll-on-roll-off vessel carried 300 passengers, despite the fact that many of the fire's victims did not appear on the ferry's passenger manifest.

Five days after the search began, 53 people have been found dead, including two police investigators and two journalists who were on board the ferry when it later sank on Feb. 25. Three-hundred passengers have been found alive.

The Indonesian Red Cross said it has received dozens of reports from relatives of ferry passengers who still remained missing after the fire.

Based on witnesses' accounts, police investigators suspect the fire started on a truck carrying cans of gasoline, which were to be sold on Bangka Island.

Dalle said the port was not able to monitor truck loads as it did not have the required scanning devices.

Bomb blast at port in Ambon wounds at least 12, police say

The Jakarta Post

AMBON, Maluku (AP): A bomb packed with nails exploded at a port in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon on Saturday, wounding 12 people in a region that has seen deadly Muslim-Christian violence in the past, police said.

The blast in the seaside city on Maluku island shattered months of relative calm there, but follows raids last month by police on neighboring Sulawesi island that killed 14 alleged Islamic militants.

The explosion rocked the port as passengers disembarked from a ship, sending nails and other shrapnel into a crowd of motorbike taxi drivers waiting to collect customers, said Ambon policechief Sr. Comr.Trilulus Rahardjo.

Trilulus said two of the 12 wounded were seriously injured, but gave no more details.

He said the presence of shrapnel confirmed the blast came from a bomb, but investigators were still unsure whether the device was hurled into the crowd or concealed and left on the ground.Local residents said the explosion was heard two kilometers (more than a mile) away.

Muslims and Christians fought bloody battles in the Malukus between 1999 and 2001 that left around 9,000 people dead. The area - known as the Spice Islands in colonial times - has been largely peaceful since 2001.

Trilulus declined to speculate on who might be responsible for Saturday's blast at the port, which is used by Muslims and Christians alike.

During the early fighting in Ambon, hundreds of people learnt how to make simple but deadly bombs. Like in other cities in Indonesia, Ambon is home to many gangs who often fight for control of illegal businesses or protection rackets.

Nearby Sulawesi island was also rocked by religious violence in 2000 and 2001, but killings and bombings mostly blamed on Muslim extremists have been more common there in recent years.

More than 80 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslims, but Sulawesi and the Maluku chain are evenly divided between Muslims and Christians.

Marine experts from 17 states to meet in Manado

Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Experts from 17 countries will meet here to discuss marine affairs, notably utilization of wealth found outside exclusive economic zones (EEZs), an official said.

The meeting of the International Sea Bed Authority (ISBA) will take place on March 5-8 and be opened by Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Freddy Numberi, North Sulawesi fisheries and marine resources office head Xandramaya Lalu said here Friday.

The experts will come from Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the United States.

Noted speakers from Canada, Germany and the United States will make presentations at the meeting where the 17 countries will seek solutions to international problems stemming from marine affairs, Xandramaya said.

The upcoming ISBA meeting in Manado will be followed by a World Ocean Summit (WOS) that will take place in Manado as well in 2009.

Heads of government and ministers will attend the WOS.

Researchers discover 20 new shark, ray species in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post

BANGKOK (AP): Twenty new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia during a five-year survey of catches at local fish markets, Australian researchers said Wednesday.

The survey by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, or CSIRO, represents the first in-depth look at Indonesia's sharks and rays since Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker described more than 1,100 fish speciesfrom 1842-1860.

Researchers said six of their discoveries have been described in peer review journals, including the Bali Catshark and Jimbaran Shovelnose Ray, found only in Bali, and the Hortle's Whipray, found only in West Papua.

Papers on the remaining 14 are being prepared.

"Indonesia has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and the largest shark and ray fishery in the world, with reported landings of more than 100,000 tons a year," said William White, a co-author of the study. "Before this survey, however, there werevast gaps in our knowledge of sharks and rays in this region."

Based on the survey's findings, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has published a 330-page, full-color, field guide titled: "Economically Important Sharks and Rays of Indonesia."

From 2001 to 2006, researchers photographed and sampled more than 130 species on 22 survey trips to 11 ports across Indonesia.

More than 800 specimens were lodged in reference collections at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense at Cibinong, Java, and the Australian National Fish Collection at Hobart.

The survey was part of a broader project working toward improved management of sharks and rays in Indonesia and Australia, researchers said.

"Good taxonomic information is critical to managing shark and ray species, which reproduce relatively slowly and are extremely vulnerable to overfishing," White said in a statement. "Itprovides the foundation for estimating population sizes, assessing the effects of fishing and developing plans for fisheries management and conservation."