REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti was presented the Seafood Champion Award at the Seaweb Seafood Summit in Seattle, the United States.
According to a press release received by Antara on Wednesday, Minister Pudjiastuti received the award in the leadership category.
The minister has been honored with the award for her bravery in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by foreign and local vessels in Indonesia's waters.
Pudjiastuti has played an important role in maintaining marine health and implementing sustainable fishery practices by prohibiting the use of trawls and other environmentally harmful fishing gears.
The minister has also been lauded for her efforts in eradicating slavery on fishing vessels, which also became one of the assessment criteria.
During the award ceremony, Pudjiastuti, who was unable to receive the award in person, was represented by the ministry's secretary general, Rifky Effendi Hardijanto.
After receiving the award, Hardijanto expressed gratitude for the global acknowledgement given to Indonesia in the field of marine and fishery resource management.
Before being appointed as a minister in the cabinet of President Joko Widodo, Pudjiastuti was a successful business woman who began her business as a small-scale seafood trader in Pangandaran, West Java.
"When she was entrusted by President Joko Widodo to become the minister of marine affairs and fisheries, she felt it was her responsibility to ensure that the oceans, as Indonesia's greatest heritage, can be utilized by all children of the nation up to the next generations," Hardijanto noted.
Last month, the prestigious Peter Benchley Ocean Award was also bestowed on Minister Pudjiastuti in the leadership category.
Among numerous acknowledgements for her work achievements, the ministry, led by Pudjiastuti, still faces challenges in implementing policies related to law enforcement and fishery reform, such as the sinking of illegal fishing vessels, moratorium on foreign fishing vessels, ban on loading and unloading in the middle of the sea, and prohibition on the use of environmentally destructive fishing gear.
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