Do Not Sell Fish Illegally to Foreign Parties: Minister

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti hoped that traditional fishermen and fishery companies would not sell fish illegally to foreign parties in a bid to boost the nations fisheries sector.

"Let us not sell fish illegally to foreigners. We must enforce sovereignty over our maritime territory," the minister noted in a press release received here on Monday.

The minister stated that foreigners could simply invest their funds in Indonesias marine and fisheries sector, though only in the area of fish processing.

Pudjiastuti remarked that fishing activities were wholly owned by the local Indonesian fishermen and fishery companies.

Indonesias Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Marine and Fisheries has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the supervision of marine and fishery resources for combating illegal fishing in the nations waters.

The MoU was signed by Indonesian Minister of Defense Ryamizard Ryacudu and Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti at the Ministry of Defense building in Central Jakarta on May 10, 2016.

Defense Minister Ryacudu pointed out that the theft of natural resources in the form of illegal fishing posed a real threat that must be dealt with seriously.

"If there is a threat, we must counter it. Having a strong defense is a symbol of strength and a means to achieve national goals and objectives," he emphasized.

According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Minister Pudjiastutis policy should also empower the fisheries industry more intensively, from upstream to the downstream level.

"Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has formulated a right policy. But, in the downstream industry, for instance, we have not seen any significant progress in the processed products section," Vice Chairman and Coordinator of Kadin for Eastern Indonesia Andi Rukman Karumpa noted on April 20, 2016.

Karumpa claimed that Pudjiastutis policy was a response to rampant illegal fishing and the dominance and control of the fisheries industry by foreign parties in the past, resulting in yearly losses worth trillions rupiah.

In a bid to overcome the huge losses, Karumpa remarked that Minister Pudjiastuti was taking steps to combat illegal fishing, revoke the licenses of parties involved in the loading and unloading of fish or transshipment at sea, prohibit the use of destructive fishing gear, and maintain the sustainability of fishery resources by sorting and selecting fish that can be traded.

Karumpa pointed out that despite a reduction in illegal fishing, fish production was reportedly low, and in fact, several fishermen were unemployed.

Therefore, he hoped that Minister Pudjiastutis policy would be followed up by intensive, systematic, and integrated industrialization in the fisheries sector.

Karumpa revealed that millions of ship crew and fishermen were unemployed, 200 units of large vessels had not set sail, one thousand timber vessels of 100-300 gross tonnage (GT) made in the country had stopped operations, and one thousand vessels of 30-100 GT with trawls had not ventured at sea.

"We support the policy as there must be added value to our economy. However, Kadin would like to witness prompt industrialization and effective running of the downstream fisheries industry," he remarked.(WDY)