1,000 foreign illegal vessels fishing in RI waters

JAKARTA: Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad estimated that at least 1,000 foreign fishing vessels are operating illegally in Indonesian waters.

"I believe there are more than 1,000 foreign vessels poaching here, but so far we have only caught 103 vessels," he said in Pangkal Pinang on Wednesday.

He said that the foreign trawlers were threatening the livelihood of local fishermen. "Most have been arrested by the Indonesian navy or the police." - JP