ID :
30534
Sun, 11/16/2008 - 07:45
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http://m.oananews.org//node/30534
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News Focus: ILLEGAL FISHING CAUSING N SULAWESI TRILLIONS OF RUPIAH LOSSES
By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta, Nov 15 (ANTARA) - Illegal fishing committed by foreign poachers in Indonesian waters is no longer regarded as a public secret, as this largest archipelagic country in the world with its vast marine territory has difficulties detecting and capturing them.
According to a report issued recently by the marine and fisheries office of North Sulawesi, illegal fishing activity in the province's waters had caused the local administration to suffer a loss of trillions of rupiahs.
The illegal fishing actvities were committed by foreign poachers, mostly from the Philippines, Taiwan and China and some other neighboring countries that had no cooperation agreement with the government of Indonesia, Xandramayu Lalu, head of North Sulawesi province's marine and fisheries office, said here on Saturday.
In fact, the poachers often used high technology in fishing, causing difficulty to Indonesian patrol boats to detect their
presence.
Xandramaya admitted some of the shortcomings in controlling the waters territory which is inseparable from a lack of patrol boats that could be deployed to watch over the activity of foreign poachers in that province's waters in particular and Indonesian waters in general.
The government likely let the task of sea control to the navy and water police, but they are often deceived by the activity of foreign fishing vessels.
In the meantime, North Sulawesi Governor Sarundajang SH said illegal fishermen in waters off North Sulawesi coasts applied various ways in their activities, including the use of explosives and bombs.
Consequently, many biota of the marine environment were damaged by illegal fishing activity which tended to use explosives, said Sarundajang who was formerly inspector general at the home affairs ministry.
However, he fully supported strong actions taken by the water police and navy in capturing foreign fishing vessels found poaching in waters off the province's coasts.
"Illegal fishing committed by foreign fishermen in Indonesian waters off North Sulawesi coasts has inflicted great losses on the state and therefore they should be hunted and captured for having violated Indonesian law," he said on Friday.
The capture of foreign fishing vessels was actually a manifestation of the police's responsibility in upholding security at sea, as poaching was now rife.
Furthermore, Sarundajang said his side continued to make better bilateral coordination and communication with the Philippine government in the context of sea control designed to curb illegal fishing and other crimes on sea.
The government themselves have actually formed Boarding Crossing Area (BCA) in Indonesia-Philippine border in a bid to foster better security and trade.
However, the governor wanted to find out a tip saying that illegal fishing action was inseparable from the corrupt mentality of local government officials who allegedly issued illegal and fake document and others.
Sarundajang also called on the community to report on a possible violation perpetuated by local government officials to the district head, mayor to let legal mechanism run expected.
More tragic is that poachers have shown no fear of Indonesian sea patrols, who are either outnumbered or poorly armed, director general of monitoring and control at the ministry, Aji Sularso, said earlier.
"The illegal fishermen show no respect for our national law. The shoot-and-sink policy will be part of a show of force to deter them," he said.
Aji said illegal fishing had become out of control, as it was "threatening Indonesia's economic and territorial sovereignty".
Under Indonesian fishery Law No. 31/2004 on fisheries, the ministry's patrol guards are authorized to carry guns. But in particular, the law concerned is designed to accommodate the needs and challenges of developing the fishing industry and to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal fishing.
The Indonesian government has been criticized for being "too lenient" in releasing and allowing Filipino fishermen to repatriate and reunite with their families. They would usually give one of two reasons, either citing humanitarian reasons or a lack of funds to provide basic needs and shelter.
In addition, hundreds of confiscated foreign-flagged fishing vessels are now crowding dozens of seaports across Indonesia.
They are corroding, if not sinking and already wrecked, while waiting for legal processing, which could take years to complete. But no specific budget has been allocated for their maintenance.
Indonesia, which loses Rp 30 trillion a year to poaching, is desperate to beef up its fishery patrol fleet, which currently consists of only 21 vessels. Securing the fishing boats could at least reduce the losses the country suffers.
Last year the government established five ad hoc fishery courts in Jakarta, Medan (North Sumatra), Pontianak, Tual island in Maluku and Bitung (North Sulawesi) in a bid to cut short the prolonged legal process against poachers, particularly those from overseas.
However, the ad hoc courts do not help achieve the goal as law enforcers are often divided over how to settle poaching cases.
Maintaining this policy would risk Indonesia's interest, not only will it send the wrong message on how Indonesia upholds the law, but it could also lead to an increase in the frequency of IUU in Indonesia.
Unfortunately, until now Indonesia has not established a special committee to deal with illegal fishing cases. The government tends to rely on a sectoral approach in handling such cases. Coordination between related government agencies is weak and would not be applied on a regular basis. A fisheries court has not been established either.
Indonesia and the Philippines have established a mechanism of Joint Commission on bilateral cooperation. The two countries have also signed a MoU on Marine and Fisheries Cooperation in General Santos, the Philippines, on Feb. 23, 2006.
However, the two countries have not yet established a bilateral arrangement to table particular issues of fishermen.
Jakarta, Nov 15 (ANTARA) - Illegal fishing committed by foreign poachers in Indonesian waters is no longer regarded as a public secret, as this largest archipelagic country in the world with its vast marine territory has difficulties detecting and capturing them.
According to a report issued recently by the marine and fisheries office of North Sulawesi, illegal fishing activity in the province's waters had caused the local administration to suffer a loss of trillions of rupiahs.
The illegal fishing actvities were committed by foreign poachers, mostly from the Philippines, Taiwan and China and some other neighboring countries that had no cooperation agreement with the government of Indonesia, Xandramayu Lalu, head of North Sulawesi province's marine and fisheries office, said here on Saturday.
In fact, the poachers often used high technology in fishing, causing difficulty to Indonesian patrol boats to detect their
presence.
Xandramaya admitted some of the shortcomings in controlling the waters territory which is inseparable from a lack of patrol boats that could be deployed to watch over the activity of foreign poachers in that province's waters in particular and Indonesian waters in general.
The government likely let the task of sea control to the navy and water police, but they are often deceived by the activity of foreign fishing vessels.
In the meantime, North Sulawesi Governor Sarundajang SH said illegal fishermen in waters off North Sulawesi coasts applied various ways in their activities, including the use of explosives and bombs.
Consequently, many biota of the marine environment were damaged by illegal fishing activity which tended to use explosives, said Sarundajang who was formerly inspector general at the home affairs ministry.
However, he fully supported strong actions taken by the water police and navy in capturing foreign fishing vessels found poaching in waters off the province's coasts.
"Illegal fishing committed by foreign fishermen in Indonesian waters off North Sulawesi coasts has inflicted great losses on the state and therefore they should be hunted and captured for having violated Indonesian law," he said on Friday.
The capture of foreign fishing vessels was actually a manifestation of the police's responsibility in upholding security at sea, as poaching was now rife.
Furthermore, Sarundajang said his side continued to make better bilateral coordination and communication with the Philippine government in the context of sea control designed to curb illegal fishing and other crimes on sea.
The government themselves have actually formed Boarding Crossing Area (BCA) in Indonesia-Philippine border in a bid to foster better security and trade.
However, the governor wanted to find out a tip saying that illegal fishing action was inseparable from the corrupt mentality of local government officials who allegedly issued illegal and fake document and others.
Sarundajang also called on the community to report on a possible violation perpetuated by local government officials to the district head, mayor to let legal mechanism run expected.
More tragic is that poachers have shown no fear of Indonesian sea patrols, who are either outnumbered or poorly armed, director general of monitoring and control at the ministry, Aji Sularso, said earlier.
"The illegal fishermen show no respect for our national law. The shoot-and-sink policy will be part of a show of force to deter them," he said.
Aji said illegal fishing had become out of control, as it was "threatening Indonesia's economic and territorial sovereignty".
Under Indonesian fishery Law No. 31/2004 on fisheries, the ministry's patrol guards are authorized to carry guns. But in particular, the law concerned is designed to accommodate the needs and challenges of developing the fishing industry and to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal fishing.
The Indonesian government has been criticized for being "too lenient" in releasing and allowing Filipino fishermen to repatriate and reunite with their families. They would usually give one of two reasons, either citing humanitarian reasons or a lack of funds to provide basic needs and shelter.
In addition, hundreds of confiscated foreign-flagged fishing vessels are now crowding dozens of seaports across Indonesia.
They are corroding, if not sinking and already wrecked, while waiting for legal processing, which could take years to complete. But no specific budget has been allocated for their maintenance.
Indonesia, which loses Rp 30 trillion a year to poaching, is desperate to beef up its fishery patrol fleet, which currently consists of only 21 vessels. Securing the fishing boats could at least reduce the losses the country suffers.
Last year the government established five ad hoc fishery courts in Jakarta, Medan (North Sumatra), Pontianak, Tual island in Maluku and Bitung (North Sulawesi) in a bid to cut short the prolonged legal process against poachers, particularly those from overseas.
However, the ad hoc courts do not help achieve the goal as law enforcers are often divided over how to settle poaching cases.
Maintaining this policy would risk Indonesia's interest, not only will it send the wrong message on how Indonesia upholds the law, but it could also lead to an increase in the frequency of IUU in Indonesia.
Unfortunately, until now Indonesia has not established a special committee to deal with illegal fishing cases. The government tends to rely on a sectoral approach in handling such cases. Coordination between related government agencies is weak and would not be applied on a regular basis. A fisheries court has not been established either.
Indonesia and the Philippines have established a mechanism of Joint Commission on bilateral cooperation. The two countries have also signed a MoU on Marine and Fisheries Cooperation in General Santos, the Philippines, on Feb. 23, 2006.
However, the two countries have not yet established a bilateral arrangement to table particular issues of fishermen.
