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Combating illegal fishing: How far can the govt go?
Under arrest: Officers from the North Sumatra Police water police unit escort the captain of a Malaysian fishing vessel (hooded) allegedly working in Indonesian waters without a permit, at Belawan Port in Medan North Sumatra,in August
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Under arrest: Officers from the North Sumatra Police water police unit escort the captain of a Malaysian fishing vessel (hooded) allegedly working in Indonesian waters without a permit, at Belawan Port in Medan North Sumatra,in August. (Antara/Septianda Perdana) (hooded) allegedly working in Indonesian waters without a permit, at Belawan Port in Medan North Sumatra,in August. (Antara/Septianda Perdana)
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span class="inline inline-none">Under arrest: Officers from the North Sumatra Police water police unit escort the captain of a Malaysian fishing vessel (hooded) allegedly working in Indonesian waters without a permit, at Belawan Port in Medan North Sumatra,in August. (Antara/Septianda Perdana)
In general, traditional fishermen from Anambas Island, Riau Islands, support President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's crack down on foreign fish poachers.
The mood changes, however, when talking about the authorities, who they allege protect the law breakers helping them.
'Problems related to poaching by foreign fishermen have been around since I was a kid, and yet they still exist, even until today,' said a former fisherman who declined to be named as he currently works for the government.
'Law enforcement efforts have been frequently been undertaken by authorities for years, [but] now it is their methods that make things look different, more bombastic,' he said.
The waters around Natuna and the Anambas Islands are where warm and cold streams meet, providing ideal circumstances for fish to thrive.
Local fishermen, however, remain poor, with most catching fish in small boats using traditional ways.
'Our fishermen are struggling to compete with bigger boats operated by foreigners. Sometimes they intentionally ram us to keep us away,' Anambas Islands Vice Regent Abdul Haris said, adding that more than 90 percent of the regency's people depended on fishing for their livelihoods.
'Illegal fishing by foreign ships has been our complaint for years. We appreciate the Navy for blowing up their ships,' he added. 'I hope that can be shock therapy for any illegal foreign fishermen.'
The sinking of three Vietnamese ships in Anambas waters in December was the first after Jokowi gave instructions to destroy foreign vessels caught illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.
Navy Western Fleet commander Rear Admiral Widodo said 33 people from the impounded vessels, all foreigners, were detained at Tarempa Naval Base in Anambas.
An official with the local prosecutor's office, however, said that it had been formally notified by Navy investigators that only three would be prosecuted.
'The suspects look to be only low ranking. They have been arrested and charged for failing to comply with proper fishing permissions and using trawls which is not allowed here,' the official said.
A source within the Navy who declined to be named admitted that while numerous fishermen have been caught, only few were prosecuted. 'Why are illegal fishermen still here until today? Because of 'intervention', of course,' the officer said.
A retired three-star general from the intelligence community who also declined to be named said that collusion and corruption has been a chronic problem ' and that even officials within a given agency could be involved in a stand-off when it came to high-profile foreign poachers.
'When I was still active in the military, 'magic' letters from top officials in Jakarta were frequently sent to regions ordering local officers to release arrested illegal fishers. Fed up by intervention from Jakarta, authorities on the ground then made their own 'settlements',' the retired general said.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Moeldoko claims that foreign fishing vessels often escaped arrest because they have better radar and navigation tools ' although another Navy officer denied the claims, saying that the vessels escaped thanks to tips from local authorities.
Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Minister Susi Pudjiastuti previously alleged that some Navy and police personnel aided illegal foreign fishermen in operating in Indonesian waters.
Susi claimed that local kingpins often provided aid to the poachers, including forged or illegal documents.
'Roughly 7,000 illegal fishing boats operate in Indonesia. Many of them have been helped in this way,' she said.
Susi, who previously ran a fisheries and seafood business, recently established a task force to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, as well as illicit practices, including alleged official collusions with poachers.
The task force comprises 12 officials from the Presidential Working Unit for the Supervision and Management of Development (UKP4), the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the National Police, the Transportation Ministry, the customs office and Bank Indonesia.
Mas Achmad Santosa, former UKP4 deputy for law enforcement, chairs the task force along with former PPATK chief Yunus Husein and Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Ministry inspector general Andha Fauzi Miraza.
Susi also issued a bold moratorium on issuing new fishing licenses and banned mid-sea catch transfers.
A recent meeting between Susi and the KPK also shed light on graft that might hamper the government's anti-poaching efforts.
'The KPK has followed up on the findings we submitted earlier on a number of fishing companies. The anti-graft body found that some of the companies did not exist,' Susi said.
KPK chairman Abraham Samad criticized the National Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) for not fully supporting anti-poaching campaigns.
'The KPK signed an agreement with the AGO, the National Police and the TNI to protect the country's natural resources. The agreement should provide the legal grounds for them to help the ministry destroy illegal vessels in our waters,' Abraham said.
