Marine Resources and Fishery Control director general Syahrin Abdurrahman says waters of the southern coast of West Java are an illegal fishing haven for foreign vessels.

"The coastal region has abundant marine wealth. High-quality fish breed well there. Unfortunately, due to a lack of equipment it is difficult to tap the resources," Syahrin said in Bandung as quoted by Antara news agency on Wednesday.

The area, he said, is located in the Indian Ocean and should be closely supervised.

"The characteristics of an ocean make it difficult to control. We have to wait until big waves subside to sail farther out. When there are high waves, we're unable to do so," Syahrin said.

"We only have 20 ships to supervise all of Indonesia'€™s maritime territory, while more than 90 would be the ideal," he said.

Foreign fishing vessels enter Indonesian maritime territory when there are high waves to plunder Indonesia'€™s marine wealth. Their activities are feared to harm the welfare of local fishermen, who also rely on marine resources and fisheries in the region.

Therefore, Syahrin asked the government and all components of the nation to raise awareness on the importance of sustainability for the existing marine resources and fisheries. (krb)