T

wo years have gone by since Task Force 115 (Satgas 115), which rallies officials from numerous government agencies to take on illegal fishing, was established amid growing concerns over Indonesia’s perennial losses due to fishery crimes.

For Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti the hard work carried out by Satgas 115 has paid off in increasing some figures related to fishery businesses.

However, new challenges awaited Indonesia in its war against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF), the minister told a summit of captains in Jakarta on Tuesday. She noted that what Indonesia had gained in the fight would mean nothing if the country did not gear up to anticipate future modi operandi of fishery crimes.

“We cannot stop here and must always be able to anticipate [fishery crimes], because they will use new ploys to outsmart the law enforcement efforts carried out by Task Force 115,” Susi said addressing the gathering.

Organized by Susi’s office and running from Tuesday to Wednesday, the National Coordination Meeting on Illegal Fishing aims to bring to the table issues related to IUUF in order to intensify the war Indonesia has waged since 2015 on what is considered a global crime.

Tuesday’s session gathered President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s top lieutenants in maritime affairs, such as Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, Navy deputy chief of staff Vice Adm. Achmad Taufiqoerrohman, Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) chief Rear Adm. Ari Sudewo and Susi herself.

Susi highlighted that, since Indonesia escalated the war on IUUF in 2015, the country was enjoying a rise in national fish stocks and diminishing dependency on fish imports to meet domestic demand.

Task Force 115 data show that Indonesia sunk 317 vessels used for illegal fishing from 2014 to April 2017. Meanwhile, the task force arrested 294 vessels from 2014 to June 2017, 66 of which were foreign vessels.

The task force investigated 95 fishery crimes, 54 of which were IUUF cases. Of the total cases, 41 have concluded with legally binding rulings.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry data show that Indonesia’s fish stocks increased exponentially to 12.5 million tons in 2016 from 7.3 million tons in 2013, two years before the establishment of Task Force 115. “Also, our fish imports have decreased by 70 percent, showing that with good will we can achieve a positive economic impact by shooing foreign vessels from Indonesia,” Susi said.

However, Susi stressed the importance for related parties to watch out for transshipment of fish in high seas, a practice outlawed internationally to prevent overfishing.

This practice was rampant in the Indian Ocean, especially to the west of Sumatra, south of Java and north of Sulawesi, Susi said, adding that in the latter location vessels committing this activity were usually Indonesian-flagged employing Filipino crew members.