REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) detained 14 illegal fishing boats during its operations from January 21 to January 25, a senior official stated.
Seven of the 14 fishing vessels are foreign, while the remaining seven are Indonesian ships.
"The foreign vessels include four boats flying the Vietnamese flag, one flying the Thai flag, and two flying the Philippine flag," Director General of KKP's Marine Affairs and Fisheries Resources Supervision (PSDKP), Asep Burhanudin, said in a written statement here on Tuesday(27/1).
Based on data from the ministry, the four Vietnamese ships were caught in the waters of Natuna on January 22 by KKP's ship Hiu Macan 001. The four ships had 8, 11, 7 and 9 crew members, all of whom are Vietnamese. "The four ships were escorted to the PSDKP station in Pontianak," Burhanudin affirmed.
The Thai ship KM 026, which was caught in the eastern waters of Lhokseumawe in Aceh, has a deadweight of 80 GT. Carrying 4 Thai and 10 Myanmarese crew members, it was detained by KP Hiu 008 on January 25. "For legal processes, it was taken to the PSDKP Working Unit in Lampulo in Banda Aceh," Burhanudin noted.
While one ship flying the Philippine flag was named KM Garuda 5 and carried four Filipino crew members, the other vessel was named KM Garuda 6 and carried 15 Filipino crew members. Both vessels were detained by KP Hiu Macan Tutul 001 ship on January 24 in the waters of Sulawesi Sea, and will face legal processes in Bitung's PSDKP.
The seven foreign vessels were fishing illegally in Indonesian Fisheries Management Areas (WPP-WRI) without proper documents from the Indonesian government, Burhanudin revealed.
Furthermore, the KKP is strengthening its surveillance capacity to combat illegal fishing in Indonesian waters by aiming to build four new surveillance vessels in 2015.
"Under the Indonesian Fisheries Supervisory Ship System program, the ministry will build four new ships this year," the PSDKP director general said here on Monday.
The four news ships, expected to become operational by the end of this year, would support the 27 surveillance vessels currently operated by the ministry, he affirmed.
"We are also doing our best to increase the number of operational days from 116 to 210, taking these eventually to 280," Burhanudin remarked.
President Joko Widodo has ordered all parties concerned in the country to take strongest possible action against foreign fishing boats poaching in Indonesian waters.
"I say, do not nab the foreign fishing boats poaching in Indonesian waters. If needed, sink them straightaway, but save their crew members first. If we do that to some 20 boats, others will think twice before setting out for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters," he had said last November.
Due to the illegal fishing activities that foreign vessels indulge in, Indonesia has been suffering significant material losses.
According to Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Unitary Indonesian Traditional Fishermen, M. Rizal Damanik, state losses as a result of illegal fishing amount to Rp100 trillion each year.
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