TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Building of ASEAN fishery launched
The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry launched on Tuesday the construction of a fishery â which will be known as the Inland Fishery Resource Development and Management Department (IFRDMD) â in Palembang, South Sumatra
Change Size
T
he Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry launched on Tuesday the construction of a fishery ' which will be known as the Inland Fishery Resource Development and Management Department (IFRDMD) ' in Palembang, South Sumatra.
Jointly built by Japan and the 10 ASEAN member states under the Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), the 1-hectare facility is expected to be completed by December.
The ministry's secretary-general, Sjarief Widjaja, said he hoped the new fishery would improve inland water fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Indonesia.
'We will adopt technology from neighboring countries that are participating in this program and learn about sustainable water and lake management,' he said.
He said local researchers were welcome to conduct research in waters belonging to other ASEAN countries, adding that Indonesia, which boasts the largest freshwater area in Southeast Asia, would likewise open its doors to foreign researchers. The country is home to some 1,200 different species of freshwater fish.
Head of research and development at the ministry, Achmad Poernomo, said the numbers of certain fish species may well have declined as they had been overfished.
He said it was becoming increasingly difficult for locals to catch the indigenous Belida fish in the Musi River because it was a very popular ingredient in fish crackers and pempek (fish cakes).
'We need to identify which fish are on the brink of extinction,' he said.
