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Extreme weather hampers Indonesia’s fish farming production
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Fresh picks: Fish farmers harvest milkfish from a fishpond in Indramayu, West Java, on Dec. 27, (Antara/Dedhez Anggara)
I
ndonesia expects to see its aquaculture production fall below its annual target this year, mainly due to the impact of the La Niña weather phenomenon on sea water conditions.
The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry's director general for aquaculture, Slamet Soebjakto, said excessive rains in some parts of Indonesia had reduced salinity in the sea water. Most sea fish, he said, required high salinity of between 33 to 35 parts per thousand (ppt) to maintain an optimum mating process.
"The rains made temperatures fluctuate in an extreme manner. Acidic raindrops are also not good for fish reproduction," Slamet said Thursday during a year-end press conference at the ministry's headquarters in Jakarta.
(Read also: Indonesia to issue tougher rules against fishing of endangered species)
The ministry reported that Indonesia, during the first nine months of 2016, had produced 13.3 million tons in aquaculture production, around 15 percent higher than the 11.5 million tons recorded during the same period last year.
Slamet estimated that the figure would end up at 15.8 million tons by year-end, much lower than the government’s target of 19.46 million tons. (hwa)
