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Govt bans 'cantrang' again, but experts see no difference
The government has reinstated a ban on cantrang (trawling nets) over environmental concerns. However, the policy still allows the use of similarly destructive types of fishing equipment.
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An activist from the People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA) holds up wooden fish during a protest in front of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta on July 13. The demonstrators opposed recent ministry regulations that allowed for the export of lobster larvae and the use of cantrang (trawling nets) for fishing. JP/Seto Wardhana (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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he government has reinstated a ban on cantrang (trawling nets), citing concerns that the dragged fishing nets could harm ocean life. However, the policy has raised eyebrows among civil society groups for allowing the use of similar types of fishing gear.
The cantrang ban has been at the center of a heated debate in small-scale fishing communities because of its widespread use as a traditional piece of fishing equipment. The nets are often pulled along the sea floor, which scientists say damages the seabed ecosystem and coral reefs.
The policy was broached by former fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first term. The ban, while introduced in an attempt to make fishing more sustainable, faced mixed responses from traditional fishing groups, who bemoaned the lack of alternatives and feared their livelihoods would suffer.
But Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono tweeted on Wednesday that ecological and economic interests did not have to contradict one another and that he believed an arrangement could be made to ensure that both went hand in hand.
“I have fulfilled my other promise [made during my inauguration as a minister] to prohibit fishing gear that does not support the ecology of the seas of the Republic of Indonesia. One [such piece of equipment] was cantrang,” Sakti said on his Twitter account @saktitrenggono.
In addition to cantrang, the minister banned dogol (akin to Danish seine nets), pair seines and lampara nets.
The ban was enacted through Ministerial Regulation No. 18/2021, which revokes a previous regulation issued by Sakti’s predecessor, Edhy Prabowo, who has been named a suspect in a bribery case involving the export of lobster larvae. Prior to reimposing the ban on trawls, Sakti also revisited the ban on lobster larvae.
