Indonesia Promotes Quota-based Tuna Fishing

Kuta (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian government is promoting tuna fishing based on a quota system to preserve this main fishery export commodity, Director General of Fisheries Narmoko Prasmadji stated at the 2nd Tuna Conference here on Thursday.

In addition to the quota-based fishing regulation, correct fishing techniques and the conservation and management of tuna habitats are also being discussed in the conference.

The tuna conservation efforts are also in line with the market demand that necessitates fulfilling several stringent conditions before the commodity is sold in the international market.

Meanwhile, Director of Fish Resources Management Toni Ruchimat explained that of the various types of tuna, the bluefin was the most expensive species due to its high quality.

The quota for this species has been divided into eight member states that are part of the Regional Fisheries Management Organization.

He noted that Indonesia had been assigned an annual catch quota of 750 tons for bluefin tuna.

Besides Indonesia, other countries that have been granted permission to catch bluefin tuna are New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, South Africa, and the European Union. Each country has a different quota based on its fishing history.

Indonesia has been assigned an annual fishing quota of 5,889 tons for bigeye tuna.

"However, the amount usually does not reach that figure," he revealed.

Toni pointed out that Indonesia was among the largest tuna-producing countries in the world, with an average production of 1.15 million tons in the last decade, while the average global tuna production reached some 6.6 to 6.8 million tons.

"Indonesia contributes 16 percent of the world`s tuna production," he noted.

Toni explained that of this figure, some 300-400 thousand tons of tuna were supplied to meet the nation`s needs, while the rest was exported to Japan, Europe, and the United States.

In addition to the quotas, the market requires a clear documentation elaborating the origin of tuna, fishing method, fishing area, and name of the boat and company.

In addition to the tuna conference, the Fifth Tuna Business Forum, attended by 250 parties, is also being organized.

Governmental institutions, industries, tuna-catching associations, scientists, academics, and various parties related to tuna fisheries at the national and international level are taking part in the forum. (WDY)