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Indonesia bans export of lobster larvae, again
The government has once again banned the export of lobster larvae over concerns about environmental sustainability and corruption arising from the business.
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Smuggled lobster larvae (-/Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry)
T
he government has banned the export of lobster larvae over concerns about environmental sustainability and corruption arising from the business.
In an announcement on his Twitter account @saktitrenggono on Thursday, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the ban had come into effect with the passage of Ministerial Regulation No. 17/2021, which revokes rules that had allowed the export of lobster larvae.
“This ministerial regulation is what I promised after being sworn in as maritime affairs and fisheries minister in December 2020,” Trenggono tweeted on Thursday. The regulation went into effect on June 4.
He added, “I have emphasized that lobster larvae represent one of Indonesia's marine resources and must be cultivated within the territory of Indonesia.”
Trenggono took office after his predecessor, Edhy Prabowo, was arrested in November 2020 and later named a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for accepting Rp 3.4 billion (US$241,577) and $100,000 in kickbacks for securing export permits for a company. Following Edhy’s arrest, the export of lobster larvae was suspended pending an evaluation.
Prior to his downfall, Edhy had issued Ministerial Regulation No. 12/2020, which revoked a ban on lobster larvae exports imposed by former minister Susi Pudjiastuti in 2016. The move was widely criticized by fishermen and experts for the risk of depleting the lobster larvae population.
Between June and November 2020, before Edhy’s arrest, 14 companies exported more than $39 million worth of lobster larvae , according to Statistics Indonesia, 99 percent of which went to Vietnam.
