Fishermen Call on Government to Address Illegal Fishing

Jakarta Globe, Jun 15, 2014

Fishermen unload a catch on the shore of Banyuwangi, East Java. (AFP Photo)

Padang. An Indonesian Traditional Fishermen’s Union (KNTI) official on Saturday called on the government to improve efforts to secure Indonesian waters from illegal fishing by foreign boats.

The incursions cost the state trillions of Rupiah each year, the union said.

“According to KTNI data, fish theft happens in 18 places across Indonesian waters,” KNTI board of advisers head Riza Damanik said on Saturday, as quoted by state-run Antara news agency. “This practice clearly has negative implications for the country’s efforts to preserve its marine ecosystems and the sustainability of the fisheries as a food source.”

He said that that lack of monitoring left doors wide open for abuse.

“Cases of theft… cost an estimated Rp 30 trillion [$2.54 billion] worth of state losses,” he said.

He said the government should spread 1,000 local boats across broader swathes of the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEI) to pevent foreign incursions.

He also urged the government to support Indonesian fishing infrastructure in expanding East.

“The fact is that 80 percent of fishing ports in Indonesia are still located in the western part of the country,” he said. “The fish processing industry is focused in Central Java, while actually there are plenty of resources in the eastern part of Indonesia.”