Poachers squeezed as government gets tougher

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 09/04/2008 10:12 AM | Headlines

The government has begun cracking down on illegal fishing by revoking operating licenses for vessels and trampers allegedly linked to foreign companies.

During the first eight months of the year, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry revoked the licenses of 1,617 vessels and 96 trampers (cargo vessels carrying fish products) for their involvement in illegal fishing.

The ministry also revoked some vessels' licenses for underpaying government fishing fees, the ministry's director for fishing, Ibrahim Ismail, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"We have revoked their licenses for violating certain regulations, including failing to pay fishing fees based on the actual amount of their catches," he said.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, incurs an estimated US$3.2 billion in losses each year from poaching of its maritime resources by syndicates from Thailand, China and the Philippines, according to the ministry.

Although illegal fishing is common, the ministry continues selling low-cost licenses for fishing in depleted waters, including in the Arafura sea in east Indonesia.

The government-sanctioned National Commission for Fishery Resources Study has repeatedly warned the ministry against overfishing in the Arafura.

It has also categorized the sea as a "red" area, in need of recovery from severe exploitation by large fishing vessels.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi told the Post there would be no fishing moratorium in the near future as the ministry considered the country's fishing areas sustainable.

Fish stocks in the Arafura sea have gradually returned to normal levels due to the limitations placed on the number of companies operating in the area, Freddy said.

"We will only issue new licenses in Arafura for the replacement of damaged vessels," he added.

Located between Southeast Maluku and Papua, Arafura is known for its abundant marine resources.

Security and surveillance are reportedly lax in the area, providing leeway for fishing companies to poach.

The ministry is also limiting fishing activities for large companies operating in the South China and Natuna seas.

"We are reducing the number of vessels allowed to fish in these sites because we want to maintain a sufficient level of resources," Freddy said.

The ministry has prohibited any large ships, foreign or domestic, from fishing in the Java Sea due to its unsustainable resources, he added.

To deal with illegal fishing, the ministry has deployed 22 patrol vessels to supervise all fishing activities throughout Indonesia.

As of July, patrol vessels had detained the operators of nearly 1,200 fishing vessels, with around 167 facing time in court, Freddy said.

From January through May, the ministry secured Rp 322.4 billion (US$35 million) in potential losses from poaching, he added. Last year, the ministry managed to prevent potential losses worth Rp 432 billion. (ewd)

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