The plan, if it goes through, will undo a policy put in place by his predecessor, Susi Pudjiastuti, in 2016 over sustainability concerns. Susi, conservation experts and businesspeople swiftly denounced the plan, fearing that it would disadvantage the Indonesian economy and deplete crustacean populations.

In a series of videos published through the ministry’s social media accounts, Edhy addressed the criticism, saying the plan was aimed at protecting thousands of fishermen who depended on catching lobster seeds for their livelihood.

“There are thousands of people [in the lobster catching business]; would we let them die of hunger? Would we let them feel distressed because they don’t have enough money for food or to put their children in school?” he said.

Edhy suggested that the fishermen would be allowed to export lobster seeds subject to a quota, because the country’s lobster farms could not absorb all of the lobster seeds currently supplied.

To maintain the lobster population, the ministry plans to oblige all lobster farms to return between 2.5 and 5 percent of their mature lobsters back to the sea.   

Edhy also suggested that the plan would end the rampant smuggling of lobster seeds to Singapore and Vietnam.

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