The plan has the drawn ire of several figures, including the previous minister, who urged the government to only permit the export of mature lobsters.

Edhy first announced the plan during a meeting on Dec. 4 in Jakarta, saying he would resume the export of lobster larvae to Vietnam. He cited high demand for the commodity in the fellow Southeast Asian country as the reason for reversing his predecessor’s policy.

Since Susi issued a ministerial regulation banning the export of lobster larvae, demand in Vietnam has been met by Singapore.

Read also: Thousands of baby lobsters to be released to natural habitat

Edhy said resuming exports would boost state revenue. However, he added that tight provisions were needed, including the designation of specific areas where lobster larvae harvesting was permitted and assigning certain Indonesian and Vietnamese companies to participate in the trade.

“My guiding principle is preserving the environment for future generations. Therefore, both environmental and economic considerations must evaluated together,” the minister said on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He added that exports of lobster larvae would not affect the mature lobster population, citing a study that highlighted that less than 1 percent of lobster larvae grow into maturity naturally.

Susi wrote on her official Twitter account, @susipudjiastuti, that she disagreed with the plan, arguing that exporting mature lobsters was more beneficial than exporting larvae.

“A backpack containing 8,000 lobster larvae has the same value as two Harley-[Davidson motorcycles] or 60 Brompton [bicycles]. If the larvae grow naturally in the ocean, the value will increase to be the same as 20 Harleys or 600 Bromptons,” she wrote in a tweet.

1 backpack bibit lobster +_ min 8000ekor Rpnya sama dg 2 harley= 60 Brompton, kalau bibit ini tidak diambil, di laut & jadi besar nilai jd min. 20 harley = 600 brompton, tidak usah kasih makan, Tuhan yg memelihara, manusia bersabar,menjaga pengambilannya.Tuhan lipatkan gandakan

— Susi Pudjiastuti (@susipudjiastuti) December 14, 2019

“We don’t have to feed them. Just let God nurture them. Humans should be patient [and] monitor how many they take, while God will multiply [their amount].”

Read also: Susi protests Singapore on smuggling of lobster larvae

While serving as maritime affairs and fisheries minister during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first term, Susi issued a ministerial regulation banning the harvesting and exporting of several species of lobsters and crabs over concerns exports would deplete crustacean populations.

At the time, many lauded the minister’s efforts to protect the animals from extinction caused by mass exploitation, while others criticized the decision, saying it could increase the prevalence of lobster larvae smuggling.

Edhy said the ministry had yet to make a final decision regarding the plan, adding that his office was currently in discussing the plan with stakeholders, such as experts and businesspeople. (kuk)

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