UNHAS Students Launch Speed Boat

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 18 March, 2010 | 17:42 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Makassar:The shipping engineering students of Hasanuddin University’s (Unhas) Technical Faculty had not been creating boats for some time, but in the past two years they began work at producing them. Last year they created a sail boat. This time they launched a speed boat.

Five students who created it one month ago, called it the Cab Over Hydro, a five-meter long speed boat. It looks like a speedboat with a sharp front.

Team leader Zulfikar said the boat, built in the Shipping Engineering workshop, used calculations integrating the theories on ship engineering as well as stability and hydrostatics.

This is the first engine-powered boat created by South Sulawesi students. The boat uses a 2,5 horse-power engine assembled with a propeller and a steering wheel. According to Zulfikar, the engine belongs to the Ship Engineering Faculty and has often been used for practical study sessions.

The Cab Over Hydro can be used in the sea or lakes. “We have tested it on the sea and fresh water areas,” Zulfikar said. The boat can carry eight people.

The boat is made of multiplex and fiber. Zulfikar said this is the real form of the ship’s miniature and is kerosene-generated.

The Class of 2007 students said the ship can only be operated offshore because it cannot resist big waves. However, it can go as far as Lae Lae Island, off the Losari coast.

Zulfikar hopes that the Cab Over Hydro will motivate other engineering students to create more advanced boats and useful applications for the public.

The Cab Over Hydro is an application of theory and field practice.

SUKMAWATI

Indonesian Sogili as Delicious as Japaneses' Taste

Kompas, Rabu, 17 Maret 2010 | 14:55 WIB

KOMPAS.com — Indonesia's fisheries and naval biodiversity are among the richest in the world. The unagi or sogili, usually called "sidat" by Indonesians , which is a favorite for Japanese cuisines, can also be found in abundance in Indonesian waters.

The brood of young sogili can survive in fresh and salt water and they are prized by Japanese fishery businessmen. For example, the marmorata sogili can cost up to Rp. 300,000 per kilogram.

Another type is the bicolor, which is worth about Rp. 150,000 per kilogram. The broods for this type can be found in abundance around the waters of Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java. Hitherto, people haven't been able to properly germinate sogili because the their fertilization must be done off shores, then the broods will swim up stream to an estuary.

At the estuary the sogili will grow to adulthood then have another fertilization. "Even Japan, with its sophisticated technology, hasn't been able to do the germination," stated Made Suita, Chief of the Fishing Weir Business Bureau, Karawang, Sunday.

Because of this reason, the cultivation of eels have been done naturally. Some areas with potentials with such a weir are the waters of Poso, Manado, south coast of Java especially around Pelabuhan Ratu, and the western coast of Sumatera.

But not all of them have yielded results, because according to Made, only the fishermen in Pelabuhan Ratu are capable of catching the broods of sogili. The Pelabuhan Ratu waters include an estuary and a bed that flow directly to the sea.

Nurdin, the chief for cultivation of the Fishing Weir Business Bureau, stated that the sogili broods have been commercialized. The fishermen know that a kilogram of eels worth Rp. 5,000 can be sold for Rp. 150,000. Most of the buyers are from Taiwan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

But some people arenn't aware of the value of these sogili broods. In Poso and Manado, the broods are usually fried into fritters. According to Nurdin, due to the people's ignorance, they treat the broods just like cheap salted fish.

Foreign countries are eyeing to purchase sogili broods. Domestic buyers only use the broods for cultivation in Karawang, Cirebon, and Indramayu. The trouble for the Indonesian cultivators is that they don't have direct access for export. The domestic market can't be counted on, because most consumers don't like sogili here, and they're expensive too.

"The breeding must also meet all the requirements if it's for export to Japan. This makes exporting sogili to Japan difficult," stated Nurdin. One alternative to penetrate the Japanese market is by cooperating with a Japanese company which has already been in the sogili market.

Breeding sogili is also relatively long, around three to four months. The sogili must be fed with high protein pellets which cost about Rp. 9,000 per kg. The sogilis also need shredded snails. The sogilis also need to be kept in high-oxygen water. The survival rate of sogilis is about 75 percent of the total brood. "If you want the details please come to the Fishing Weir Business Bureau in Karawang."

The Fishing Weir Business Bureau in Karawang is cooperating with a Japanese partner, Asama Industry Co. Ltd. Specifically, the foreign company is cooperating with PT Suri Tani Pemuka for breeding sogilis. The breeded sogilis can be exported directly to Japan thanks to their partner. Unfortunately Made can't reveal the exact numbers from the exports.

Made also pointed out that there should be many other potential partners from Taiwan, Korea, and China.

Japan, Vietnam and Korea have also tried to cultivate sogilis. So there is competition with other producers. However, the cultivation in Vietnam and Korea actually comes from Indonesian broods.

"The person trying to cultivate sogilis in Japan is actually an Indonesian." (Asnil Bambani Amri/Kontan/C17-09)

Customs seizes boat carrying explosive materials

Antara News, Wednesday, March 17, 2010 20:28 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Tanjung Balai Karimun Customs patrol has seized a boat carrying 60 tons of ammonium nitrate and 2000 bags of used clothes from Malaysia in the South China Sea.

The boat was seized early Tuesday morning with a total loss on the state estimated at Rp3 trillion, the office`s spokesperson , Evy Suhartantyo, said here on Wednesday.

"The immaterial loss is related to security namely the discovery of the explosive material while the economic loss is connected with the discovery of the used clothes," he said.

It all happened when customs patrol boat BC 3002 caught KLM Pratama Jaya carrying more than 2,400 25-kg bags of the explosive material and 500 bags of used clothes in the South China Sea.

The Indonesian-flagged ship with 14 crew on board and Syukur as its skipper was traveling to Ambon and Kendari when it was seized.

Customs boat BC 6003 meanwhile seized KLM Intan Sari I carrying more than 1,500 used clothes in the Natuna Sea.

The boat also raised an Indonesian flag with 10 crew on board and Hamid as its skipper.

"We cannot as yet be able to tell details about them as they are still being investigated," the regional head of the special customs office of Kepulauan Riau, Nasar Salim, said.

He said his men had seized the boats believably because they did not have customs documents.

Indonesian fishing moratorium a small step to help save Coral Triangle

WWF, 15 March 2010

Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) are cage-fed to improve the quality of their meat. La Paz, Mexico. (Photo: Brian J. Skerry / National Geographic Stock / WWF)

WWF welcomes Indonesian moratorium on new trawl and purse seine fisheries licenses but an immediate reduction in fishing efforts is needed in order to protect the Coral Triangle, the world’s most diverse marine environment.

Trawling and purse seine fisheries have become a problematic issue in Indonesia, strongly contributing to the overfishing of mostly fully exploited juvenile tunas, and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing in the area (IUU).

“This moratorium on new fishing licenses for trawlers and purse seiners will certainly stop the bleeding but not the wound, so to speak. A reduction in current fishing capacity is key to addressing problems of overfishing and bycatch of juvenile tunas in the Coral Triangle” says Dr. Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Head.

Tuna is an important fishing resource in Coral Triangle as it supports the economies of many developing nations and represents the livelihoods of millions of people in this region and beyond.

The region contains spawning and nursery grounds and migratory routes for commercially-valuable tuna species such as bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack and albacore, producing more than 40% of the total catch for the Western Central Pacific region, and representing more than 20% of the global catch.

As of 2007, more than 10,000 trawlers and 22,000 purse seiners have been found in Indonesian waters.

‘These existing fishing fleets are highly capable of bringing already fully exploited fish stocks to an even greater overfished state’ adds Dr. Pet-Soede.

‘We would also like to seek further clarification on the criteria being used to determine stock recovery and how this is will be evaluated. WWF is willing to participate and contribute to this process.’

Trawling, which can catch as much as 30 tons of fish in a single operation, was banned nationally in 1980 but was once again made legal two years later, specifically in the Arafuru Seas in Papua.

In 2008, a regulation to allow shrimp trawling in the East Kalimantan province was issued.

Today, demersal fish stocks and shrimp are fully exploited and overfished in the Arafuru Seas. Similar results have occurred in the Flores Seas and Makassar Strait in East Kalimantan.

Purse seining has likewise become an issue in Indonesian fisheries. As much as 57% of skipjack, 71% of yellowfin and 75% of bigeye tunas caught by Indonesian purse seiners are juvenile and fully exploited.

Purse seining of small pelagic fish, or free swimming open ocean species like Skipjack tuna and sardines in Indonesia accounts for as much as 80% of the total catch in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. This however also includes big pelagic fish, which have been overfished in the Sulawesi Seas and Pacific Ocean. Pelagic fish, both big and small, have now been classified as fully exploited in Indonesia.

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No Timetable for US-Indonesia Military Deal, Says White House

Jakarta Globe, March 16, 2010

"There is a certain history that needs to be overcome" before resuming full US-Indonesia military ties, said an Obama aide.

The United States said Monday it could not predict when it would resume full military ties with Indonesia, as it laid out the details of President Barack Obama's trip to Jakarta and Bali next week.

Obama spent four years as a boy in Indonesia with his late mother, but the trip is more geared to business, focusing on trade, security and diplomacy rather than his biography or his childhood haunts.

In the run-up to the visit, the administration has been preparing the way to resume training an elite Indonesian military unit as part of growing counter-insurgency and intelligence cooperation with Jakarta.

But the move would be controversial as the Kopassus unit is implicated in past human rights abuses, including in East Timor, and some key players in Congress oppose embracing the force before it has accounted for past behavior. It remains unclear whether the dispute over Kopassus will be resolved in time for Obama's visit which begins on March 23.

Officers from Kopassus were in Washington only last week in a bid to secure resumed US support for the unit, which was cut off in 1997.

"It would be good if we could move to full cooperation, fuller cooperation to include the special forces, the counterterrorism capabilities within the special forces of Kopassus," said Jeffrey Bader, Obama's senior director for Asian affairs, briefing reporters on Obama's trip. "There is a certain history that needs to be overcome. There were human rights violations in the 1990s in former East Timor.

"We hope to be able at some point to move past and resolve those concerns (but) I can't predict at this point when that day might arrive."

US officials have been complimentary on the growing security cooperation between Washington and Jakarta.

Last week, Indonesia confirmed that a major suspect of the 2002 Bali bombing, known as Dulmatin, an Al-Qaeda trained bomb specialist with a 10 million US dollar bounty on his head, had been killed by police.

Obama will arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 23 and have a meeting and a press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, before being honored at a state dinner.

The next day, Obama is likely to make his most expressive reference to his childhood years in Indonesia, in a major speech also intended to build on his address to the Muslim world in Cairo last June.

"He'll be able to speak to some of the progress that's been made and that needs to be made on the issues that he spoke to in Cairo," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security advisor for strategic communications.

Obama will then meet with local business leaders and make some so far unspecified stops, but the White House has already said he will not visit the school he once attended in Jakarta, or the house where he lived.

The president will then head to the resort island of Bali where he will hold an event with civil society groups to showcase Indonesia's democratic progress in recent years, before heading to Canberra, Australia.

Obama's departure for Indonesia, which US officials see as an increasingly important player in East Asia, was delayed by three days until Sunday, March 21, allowing him to remain in Washington for the endgame of his health reform drive.

AFP

Indonesian fishermen are running out of sea cucumbers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/15/2010 6:17 PM

Indonesia fishermen at Scott Reef, one of the allowed areas for traditional fishermen in Australian fishing zone, are running out of sea cucumbers.

“As the result of the increasing depletion of the resource (of sea cucumbers), the selling price has increased between 33 and 200 percent within four years,” James J Fox of the Australian National University said in the meeting of Research Institute of Maritime and Fisheries on Monday.

According to Fox, the fishermen, mostly from Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara, hoped that the price rises would compensate for decrease quantities of sea cucumber harvested.

There is a total of 550 legal Indonesian traditional fishermen came to Australia every year. (not)

Maluku to build win-win cooperation with neighboring countries

Antara News, Monday, March 15, 2010 14:53 WIB

Ambon (ANTARA News) - Sail Banda 2010 is expected to be the "Entry Point" for Maluku province to build win-win cooperation with neighboring countries.

Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said here on Monday that the upcoming international marine event would be the entry point for the province to knit a win-win cooperation with neighbor countries such as Australia, Timor Leste, and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

"I have just returned from Australia and Papua New Guinea to accompany President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his state visit to the two countries," Governor Ralahalu said.

The governor said that during the visit, Sail Banda event got positive support from the Australian and Papua New Guinean leaders when President Yudhoyono explained it to them in a dialog.

Ralahalu said Sail Banda 2010, scheduled for July to August this year, would be an event to improve the welfare of local people and to create peaceful and free-conflict zones in the province in the future.

Various kinds of international activities will coincide with Sail Banda event which is to be attended by hundreds, even thousands of experts and scientists from many countries.

Governor Ralahalu admitted that in his visit to Australia to accompany President Yudhoyono, he did not have time to explain Sail Banda directly to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, but in a diplomatic talks between Yudhoyono and Rudd, it was mentioned and would be discussed further.

"I did not have time to discuss Sail Banda with the Australian prime minister but I did with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, and the PNG leader promised to visit Maluku next August. I also reported it to President Yudhoyono and the president has as well officially invited Somare to visit Maluku during the Sail Banda event," Ralahalu said.

He said the PNG prime minister was glad to meet with the governors from eastern Indonesia and promised to visit Maluku and other provinces in eastern Indonesia later.

Ralahalu said various international agenda would be discussed in conjunction with Sail Band 2010.

Therefore, the governor called on all public elements in Maluku to fully support the success of Sail Banda 2010.

"We have to be a good host for such an international marine event and to make it a success, because it will have a positive impact on the glory of Maluku in the international eyes," Governor Ralahalau said.

Pregnant mother and two kids die after eating poisonous "Kebaddu" fish

Antara News, Monday, March 15, 2010 01:25 WIB

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - A pregnant mother and her two children died in Ledengara village, East Nusa Tenggara province, after consuming poisonous fish on Sunday.

According to a local residents Lazarus Gie, Luha Weo, 34, and her kids, Tuka Aju, 9, and Wue Aju, 5, vomitted and lost consciousness before dying.

The poisonous fish that the residents of Ledengara village, Hawu Mehara sub-district, Sabu Raijua regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, call "Kebaddu" was also eaten by 14 other people.

But they could be saved after being rushed to a local public health center. "They remain under paramedical care," Gie said.

Luha Weo, her two children and 14 other residents of Menanga Kare coastal hamlet, Ledengara village, got the fish from two local fishermen, he said.

Luha Weo suddenly got a headache and lost consciousness two hours after eating the "Kebaddu" fish. As a result, she could not help her two children, he said.

Local residents took the ill-fated pregnant mother and her kids to the village public health center but they died there, Lazarus Gie said.

Sabu Raijua policemen have started investigating this case, and brought some of the cooked "Kebaddu" fish to the laboratory for testing, he said.

Search for missing crew in Bengkulu waters suspended

Antara News, Sunday, March 14, 2010 19:06 WIB

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - Search for 10 crew members of MV "Usaha Muda I" which sank in Ipuh waters, Muko Muko district, Bengkulu province, had been suspended as the vessel ran out of fuel, a naval officer said.

"Two days ago we were conducting a search at the side where the ship went down until 9 nautical miles, but no success," commander of the Ratu Samba naval ship Second Lt Endang Mulyana said here Sunday.

The Search and Rescue (SAR) team will resume searching the missing 10 crew members after the fuel supply had arrived, he said, adding that the ill-fated ship sank on Monday (March 8) while sailing from Jakarta`s Sunda Kelapa seaport to Teluk Dalam port in Nias island, North Sumatra province. Two of the ship`s crew members survived.

According to him, a fisherman claimed to have found what looked like a jerrycan but the person who might have been clinging to it was not in sight.

The search will be continued to the Ketahun waters as far as Rat Island, 9 miles from Bengkulu City, he said.

"Yesterday a search was focused on the center of the waters, tomorrow we will continue our search to the far ends of the waters," he stated.

The fishermen also said the search team had problems with the bad weather and lack of fuel.

Of the 12 crew members, the two survivors are Anto (24) and Panji (27) while the other 10 were still missing, namely Buya, the ship skipper, Safrinul, Samir, Yan, Eko, son, Alexander, Syukur, Ocha and Mamat.

Blogger Auto Pagination Speeds Page Loads but Angers Bloggers

Susan's Blogging Blog, by Susan Gunelius, Thursday February 25, 2010

Last week, Blogger rolled out Auto Pagination, which automates the amount of content that is displayed on Blogger blog pages based on the amount of HTML and and images on each page. Google claimed that the purpose behind the change is to speed page load time. For example, with the new Auto Pagination feature, a Blogger blog might be limited to only display two posts per page if those posts include a lot of images. Visitors would need to click on the Next Post link to view additional posts from the blog.

While the change is unlikely to affect a lot of smaller bloggers, it has caused concern from larger bloggers, particularly those who use Blogger for photo blogs or blogs that are image-intensive, such as celebrity fan bloggers.

Many of the Blogger users who found their blogs suddenly altered to display only a couple of posts per page blogged about the new Blogger Auto Pagination feature in order to complain about the change. According to some of the more vocal bloggers, they were able to email Google and work with them to modify their blogs so the Auto Pagination feature doesn't affect their blogs. If you use Blogger and dislike the Auto Pagination feature, be sure to contact Blogger support and voice your concerns.

Has the new Blogger Auto Pagination function affected your blog or any of the blogs that you read? Leave a comment and share your experiences.

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RI, M`sia agree to minimize sea border violations

Antara News, Wednesday, February 24, 2010 23:44 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian and Malaysian navies have agreed to minimize mutual violations of their sea boundaries, especially in Sulawesi waters.

"We have agreed and understand the rules that have been made by the two parties with regard to procedures for conducting patrols in the two countries` sea borders," Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suharto said here on Wednesday.

When asked by ANTARA News regarding the result of his courtesy call on Malaysian Navy Chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jafar last week he said the two parties had agreed to conduct patrol in their respective sea borders.

"So in case a sea border dispute occurs including in the Sulawesi waters we will refer it to the government to settle. We, the two countries` navies, will safeguard and patrol in our own regions in line with the standing procedures already agreed," Agus said.

Until now the Indonesian embassy has facilitated 13 rounds of talks on the Indonesia-Malaysia maritime border since 2005 with regard to delimiting four segments of the maritime border namely in Sulawesi waters, the Malacca Strait, the South China sea and the Singapore Strait.

In the Malacca Strait Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have conducted patrol cooperation under the Malsindo (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) program and a joint Eye in the Sky air patrol.

Indonesia and Malaysia however have not reached an agreement regarding the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) border line in the northern part of the Malacca Strait and in the South China sea.

In the Sulawesi waters the two countries also have not yet agreed with regard to continental shelf, territorial and EEZ borders.

Yudhoyono receives UNEP Award for coral initiative

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali | Wed, 02/24/2010 5:45 PM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been honored with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Award for Leadership in Promoting Ocean and Marine Conservation and Management.

The award was presented Wednesday by UNEP executive director Achiem Steiner during the opening of UNEP's 11th Special Session of the Governing Council in Nusa Dua, Bali, which is the first ministerial-level meeting organized by the UN body since the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

The President was honored for "personally spearheading" the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), the high-level political commitment among the governments of several countries around the Coral Triangle area, to safeguard the region's marine and coastal biological resources for the sustainable growth and prosperity of current and future generations.

The Coral Triangle covers the areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor and Papua New Guinea. It lies across mere 1 percent of the earth’s surface, but is said to contain a third of the world's coral and three-quarters of its coral reef species.

In August 2007, Yudhoyono wrote to seven other leaders in the area proposing a new CTI, which was then agreed upon and signed in Manado shortly after the World Ocean Conference in May 2009.

"The CTI represents a key step in protecting one of the most important marine ecosystems on the planet," UNEP director of information Satinder Bindra said before presenting the award to the Indonesian President.

"It's a commendable example of regional cooperation and it's an initiative which has been personally spearheaded by His Excellency President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," he added.

In his speech after the award ceremony, Yudhoyono said the award belonged to all Indonesians, not just to him.

Maluku governor to visit Australia with president

Antara News, Wednesday, February 24, 2010 16:08 WIB

Ambon (ANTARA News) - Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu has been asked to accompany President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the latter`s visit to Australia on March 13, 2010.

"It will be an honor for Maluku and also an opportunity for Governor Ralahalu to promote Maluku`s potentials in the neighboring country," Maluku provincial administration public relations chief Semmy Huwae said here on Wednesday.

Huwae said Ralahalu would during the visit also extend an official invitation to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to attend the international marine event of Sail Banda 2010 in Ambon.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who is due to attend the peak event of the international marine activity on August 3, 2010 would at the same time declare Maluku as a national fishery hub.

With vast areas of coral reefs, Maluku is rich in fish and other sea biota, including decorative fish species, and if managed optimally and effectively, its marine resources could bring high economic returns.

Fish species found in Maluku waters include the Black spotted Puffer, Trumpet fish, Anemones, Juvenile Damselfish, Porcupine fish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Scorpion Fish, Lizard fish, Moray Eels, Seahorses and Banded Sea Snakes.

President Yudhoyono and his entourage will visit Australia on March 13, 2010, and on the next day March 14, 2010, the head of state will continue to Papua New Guinea where Governor Ralahalu would also hand an official invitation to the PNG prime minister to attend Sail Banda.

"But the visits to Malaysia, Timor Leste, and other countries will be scheduled by the presidential secretariat after the visit to Australia and Papua New Guinea," Semmy Huwae said.

He said the president and central government strongly supported the success of Sail Banda 2010, and therefore Governor Ralahalu and his deputy also called on all parties to support the success of the international marine event in Maluku later.

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President outlines five strategies to save environment

Antara News, Wednesday, February 24, 2010 16:05 WIB

Nusa Dua (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono outlined five strategies to save the environment when officially opening the 11th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council /Global Ministerial Environment Forum, here on Wednesday.

The first strategy is to change the pattern of production and consumption in order to save the Earth which is seriously damaged, for the sake of the present and future generations.

Other strategies are to lower biodiversity loss by implementing real actions; to promote new orientation of development and economic paradigm which are pro-poor, pro-job, and pro-growth; to finalize agreements for sustainable development; and to finalize negotiations on climate change to ensure the success of the planned Mexico Climate Change Summit , the head of state said.

On the occasion, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner presented a UNEP Award of Leadership to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for promoting and conserving marine ecosystem management.

President Yudhoyono said he accepted the award as a recognition to the work of the whole Indonesian people in managing the marine ecosystem.

He also reaffirmed Indonesia`s commitment to reducing the level of deforestation and land degradation and to lowering the level of carbon emissions.

The world environmental minister meeting taking place under the auspices of UNEP at the Bali International Convention Center from February 24 to 26, is being participated in by around 1,000 delegates from 130 countries.The meeting`s slogan is "One Planet: Our Responsibility.

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Delegates from around the world have gathered in Nusa Dua for the UNEP conference. (JG Photo/JP Christo)

Foreign fishing activity threatening Papua`s marine life

Antara News, by Eliswan Azly, Monday, February 22, 2010 20:25 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The operations of many foreign fishermen in Papua waters have become a serious problem to Indonesia as they increasingly use equipment that damage the province`s coral reefs and other biota.

Aria Aditya Setiawan, a political and international relations observer, said here recently illegal fishing using trawls often occurred in waters just a few hundred meters off the Papua coastline.

The illegal fishing`s impact on the environment was posing a problem to Indonesia`s easternmost province. It was not only causing economic damage but also had a negative impact on the environment of the region because of the use of explosives, he said.

Aria who is head of the International Relations Department of the Jayapura Technology and Science University (USTJ) said the use of explosives in fishing had become popular because potassium was easy to get both legally and illegally.

Commonly, according to him, foreign boats which are often illegally fishing in Papua`s waters came from the Philippines, Thailand and China.

"There were also Indonesian ships cooperating with the foreigners so they could get bigger profits from Papua`s marine resources," he said.

He said activities of foreign fishermen in Papua waters produced better results than those of Papua fishermen themselves because the former used high technology.

Meanwhile, Papuan fishermen are still relying on traditional fish traps.

Aria said, until 2008, security officers had inspected 39 foreign ships engaged in illegal fishing in Papua`s waters.

"Illegal fishing still poses a problem and gives a serious impact. Therefore the government including the security forces and the people should work together in dealing with the problem," he said.

Coral reefs in Indonesia`s territorial waters reach to 51.000 kilometers square or 18 percent of the total coral reefs in the world and stretching from the western through the eastern parts of Indonesia`s territorial waters.

With its wealth in biodiversity, Indonesia lies in the coral triangle along with the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

Currently, Raja Ampat islands in Papua Barat Province is the richest area in coral reefs in the world with 537 species of coral reefs and 1.074 species of fish.

Last year former Maritime and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi asked the National Police`s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) to dismantle the many illegal fishing networks believed to be operating in Indonesian waters.

The minister also requested Bareskrim to investigate fish and fuel oil barter activities in which Chinese fishing boats were known to be often engaged in Indonesian waters.

Numberi said his requests was tendered to the police in connection with the apprehension of 26 foreign fishing boats in waters off Papua`s southern coast by an integrated security agencies team.

All of the 26 fishing boats, including two Thai-flagged ones, were currently being detained at Timika`s Pomako harbor in Papua.

Numberi said his ministry believed some organization was behind the illegal activities in Indonesian waters and he had asked Bareskrim to bust it and uncover the individuals involved.

It was also reported the foreign fishing vessels used forged documents.

In the meantime, Navy spokesman First Adm. Iskandar Sitompul previously said the Indonesian Navy had seized 32 foreign ships in Papuan waters since the beginning of the month for crimes ranging from illegal fishing to the transportation of illegally harvested timber.

Iskandar said that most poachers were from Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Thailand. Most of the crew members were Indonesians, he said.

According to him, investigations had already been launched into all the cases and hoped that prosecutions would be filed in the near future.

He said that the seized ships were being held at a number of naval bases, including Jayapura, and Sorong and Manokwari in West Papua.

Court cases relating to the seizure of 25 vessels last year were still ongoing, with the owners of 21 of the vessels filing appeals with the Supreme Court, Iskander said. For example, the MV Golden Blessing was waiting for re-evaluation of its case by the Supreme Court.

Another vessel, the Siong-siong Hai-05099, would be auctioned off if its owners and crew members were found guilty of breaking the law, Iskandar said.

The Navy`s deputy chief, Vice Adm. Moekhlas Siddik, earlier said that in 2008 the Navy successfully prosecuted the operators of 100 domestic and foreign vessels.

During the year, Navy patrols inspected 1,869 ships, and of those, 521 were seized for alleged violations of Indonesian law, he said.

Indonesia is facing a host of unsolved maritime problems including rampant illegal fishing and the environmental damage from the dumping of toxic waste.

Based on a 2007 report from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Indonesian waters costs the state $2 billion each year.

Iskandar said not all the crimes were related to illegal fishing or logging.

RI soon gets fishing training ship from Spain

Antara News, Sunday, February 21, 2010 12:31 WIB

London (ANTARA News) - Transportation minister Freddy Numberi and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries minister Fadel Muhammad will receive fishing training ship "Medidihang-03" from Spain`s Asturias Gondan Shipyard in the next couple of days.

Both ministers will receive the ship during their visit to Spain from February 21 to 23, said Allen Simarmata, first secretary for education, social and cultural affairs of the Indonesian Embassy in Spain on Sunday, adding that the ship will be used by fisheries college in Jakarta.

According to him, the training ship is a part of Fisheries Development project in Indonesia (FTDI) which was built by the Asturias Gondan Shipyard and financed by soft loans from the Spanish government to the Indonesian government.

Meanwhile, Economic Function Coordinator of the Indonesian embassy in Madrid, Musthofa Taufik Abdul Latif said that the ministers and their entourage on Monday (Feb 22) will observe the Gondan Shipyard in Figueras, Asturias.

Mustofa said that the ship will be used to support the learning process and practices of cadets at the Jakarta Fisheries College and also for the unit of other Education Technical Implementation under the Human Resources Development Agency of Marine and Fisheries.

In addition, ministers Freddy Numberi and Fadel Muhammad on Tuesday will have a meeting with Spanish investors at Spanish Confederation of Employers` Organizations, Diego de Leon, 50 - 28006 Madrid.

Minister Fadel Muhammad on the occasion will deliver his speech about the Indonesia`s economic situation and the projects offered in supporting the program of marine and fisheries ministry.

Heavy price

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 02/17/2010 11:29 AM

Workers at the Sunda Kelapa Port, Jakarta, loading sacks of cement onto a boat heading for Dumai, Riau, on Tuesday. The Business Competition Supervisory Agency (KPPU) said the average price of cement in Indonesia is more expensive than in other countries, with cement costing US$91 per 50 kilogram bag in Indonesia compared to $75 per kilogram in Malaysia and China. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

With a Little Protection, Coral Reefs Can Start Growing Again, Study Says

Jakarta Globe, Michael Casey, February 17, 2010

A coral reef off Bunaken Island marine protected national park in Manado. (AFP Photo)

Bangkok. Marine parks that limit fishing and other human activity can help shrinking coral reefs halt their decline over several years and even start growing again, a study released on Wednesday found.

Earlier studies have found that fish populations increase in response to no-fishing zones. But the study in the peer-reviewed science journal PLoS ONE is the first to show that reefs also may gain from such protection.

The study by University of North Carolina marine scientists Elizabeth Selig and John Bruno analyzed a global database of 8,534 live coral cover surveys between 1969 and 2006. They found that corals located in marine reserves halt their decline and, in some cases, increase their cover.

“We found on average, coral cover in protected areas remains constant, but declined on unprotected reefs,” Selig, the study’s lead author, said in a statement.

Bruno said the reefs do not respond initially to the increased protection, but over several years they show signs of recovering. For example, in the Caribbean, he said the surveys found that coverage declined for about 14 years before steadying and then increasing.

In the Indo-Pacific, cover kept declining for the first five years after protections were established and then improved, reaching growth rates of 2 percent yearly after two decades.

“Given the time it takes to maximize these benefits, it makes sense to establish more marine protected areas,” Bruno said in a statement. “Authorities also need to strengthen efforts to enforce the rules in existing areas.”

Coral serves as a breeding ground and habitat for many of the world’s marine species and act as indicators of overall ocean health. They are under threat from pollution and overfishing and increasingly from global warming.

A 2007 study published in the journal Science warned that if carbon dioxide emissions continue at today’s rate, all coral species could be extinct within 100 years.

Gregor Hodgson, executive director of the California-based conservation group Reef Check Foundation and who was not involved in the study, said a survey of this size in PLoS ONE was “very important” because it allows researchers to see emerging patterns with reefs.

“It also shows some management is better than none,” Hodgson said.

The study also appears to challenge an earlier one that found that marine parks offered little protection to reefs.

Associated Press

Government Called On to Intensify Supervision of Foreign Ships

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 17 February, 2010 | 15:41 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Kupang :The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial House of Representatives (DPRD) member, Paulinus Domi, said there are still many foreign ships passing the NTT waters freely, especially in the border area between Indonesia and Timor Leste, as well as the area bordering Australia.

Based on a research conducted by private institutions on traffic over the NTT waters, particularly in the border areas, these ships are sailing without the supervision of the relevant authorities. “As a result, NTT is losing up to billions of rupiahs in excises and taxes,” Paulinus said, in Kupang on Wednesday.

These foreign ships are sailing freely because there is lack of supervision from the officials and the regional government, he added.

Paulinus said foreign ships are often found in the waters of Northern Central Timor (TTU) regency and Alor, which borders with Timor Leste. However, he did not mention how many foreign ships were found passing the waters.

Therefore, Paulinus called on the regional government to conduct a research and make register foreign ships that often sail on NTT waters, and the supervision there.

YOHANES SEO

Pertamina to Build Gas Station for Fishermen

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 17 February, 2010 | 15:50 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:This year, state-run oil company Pertamina will build 400 Solar Packed for Fishermen (SPDN) or gas stations in regencies and fish production centers. The policy was to address the low number of SPDNs, especially in remote islands.

“Next week we will have a meeting with the relevant offices for an overall decision. Pertamina will be in charge of the implementation,” said Maritime and Fishery Minister Fadel Muhammad, following a meeting with Pertamina directors in Jakarta, yesterday.

Fadel said the construction will be based on a new concept, namely the minapolitan concept, which applies to a large fish producing area needing a larger fuel supply. “The large fish producing area is called minapolitan,” Fadel said.

That is why there is no standard on how much allocation fuel would be supplied to one SPDN because there is a different quota for each SPDN. Fadel said fishermen are asked to unload their catches at a specified area.

The amount of their catch will determine the fuel quota. “In this way, people can longer need to buy and sell in the sea,” he said. “So far, when they go home with empty catch, the fuel is empty, too. There is something wrong with this.”

RATNANING ASIH

PAL to cut 900 employees next month

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/16/2010 9:34 PM

State ship-building company PAL Indonesia has confirmed to cut 900 employees in March as part of its restructuring program from financial trouble.

State-owned Enterprise Minister Mustafa Abubakar said Tuesday that the company would reach its ideal employee number at 1,400 people compared to the current 2,300, as reported by kompas.com.

The redundant employees will receive a compensation fund from the company, he added. No further information on the amount of the compensation has been made available.

PAL has been in financial trouble since signing a contract to construct 20 vessels in 2006 at a flat price without taking US dollar fluctuations into consideration.

This deal later prompted currency loss for the company, causing the current financial problem.