INDONESIA MUST GAIN FROM ITS OWN FISHERIES POTENTIALS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 29 (Antara) -- With the vast maritime territory and rich fishery resources of the country, Indonesians hope that the government maximizes the development of sea potentials so they can benefit from the marine wealth.         President Joko Widodo, who was inaugurated as Indonesia's seventh president last October, claimed in December that the country loses some Rp300 trillion annually from illegal fishing activities and that there are around 5,400 illegal vessels operating in Indonesian waters as a result of lack of decisive action taken by the government.         Therefore, the administration of Jokowi, as the president is fondly called, is focusing its attention on maritime development to regain the country's past maritime glory.         So far, Indonesia has yet to tap into the potential and is still weak in protecting its marine sector, which has a potential of generating US$1.2 trillion a year in revenue.         Indonesian food expert Florentinus Gregorius Winarno said in Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday that the people of the country had yet to be able to enjoy the benefits of their marine resources maximally because the largest portion of Indonesian fish was taken by foreign fishermen.         "Of the entire marine potential, only about 5 percent is enjoyed by Indonesian people," Winarno added.           He stated that most Indonesian fishermen were traditional and small fishermen. The volume of their catch was not as large as that of foreign fishermen who use large fishing vessels, which enter Indonesian territories illegally.         Therefore, he urged the new government of Indonesia to capitalize on the development of the maritime sector so that citizens can enjoy their own fishery potentials.         However, Winarno admitted that since the beginning of its term, the new government had made improvements in the sector, which is reflected in the declining number of fish poaching cases.         According to Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti, various illegal fishing activities did not come to light in the past, but of late, efforts made to fight them have yielded positive results.         She pointed out that data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) showed that the marine and fisheries sector had recorded higher growth than other sectors, such as the fields of agriculture and forestry, in the first quarter of 2015.          In addition, she said that exports of Indonesia's fisheries products had also declined as a result of the fight against illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.          Pudjiastuti further noted that the revelation of the practice of slavery on crew members onboard a fishing vessel in the waters of Benjina, Maluku, was one of the strongest reasons to prioritize the fight against illegal fishing. "We are no longer conducting business as usual," she remarked.          "I want to explain to them the government's mission to transform Indonesia into a stronger maritime state as it has, so far, been known as an agricultural country," the minister emphasized after a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Jakarta on Thursday.         The ambassadors were from Vietnam, Peru, Norway, Germany, Poland, and South Africa, among other nations.          Pusdjiastuti added that President Joko Widodo was keen on regaining Indonesia's image as a maritime state.          Furthermore, she said she now had a clearer picture of illegal fishing in Indonesia, following the implementation of her program on combating illegal fishing over the past six months.         "Combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing for the past six months has given us a clearer picture about fish theft," the minister stated.          Therefore, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) stressed the importance of fighting IUU fishing to protect the country's fisheries potentials for the benefit of Indonesian people.         After all, the European Union and the United States, which are the main destinations of Indonesian fishery exports, pay serious attention to illegal fishing.         "We have to be careful of this matter as our main markets, the European Union and the United States, take fighting IUU fishing seriously. They even prevent IUU fish products from entering their markets," Saut Hutagalung, the director general of KKP's Fish Processing and Marketing Affairs, said on Thursday last week (May 21).     He added that the European Commission could issue yellow or red cards for countries that still practice fish poaching. These countries, he revealed, included Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.         "The light verdict handed down by the fishery court in Ambon (Maluku) on a fishery case may indicate that Indonesia is not yet serious about fighting IUU fishing," Hutagalung remarked.         Fishery company PT Pusaka Benjina Resources (PBR) in Benjina, Aru Islands, Maluku province, has been in the spotlight of late, following revelations that the fishing firm had enslaved the crew members and fishermen of its fishing vessels.         Hutagalung pointed out that the Indonesian government has been stern and firm regarding illegal fishing, but the judiciary has not been as firm.         He stressed that Indonesia has no other choice but to develop a sustainable fisheries sector if it wants the industry to play an important role.        "If we are not serious, Indonesia can get a yellow card that will affect our exports," the director general cautioned.        Regarding sustainability, Minister Pudjiastuti believes that it is the key to developing Indonesia as a maritime state and transforming it into a global maritime axis in accordance with the government's vision.        "Sustainability is important because growth is not solely for the current generation but also for hundreds of succeeding generations," she remarked.     ***1*** (T.A014/INE) EDITED BY INE (T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 29-05-2015 23:12: