REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and the Navy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sea patrol, particularly to curb illegal fishing.
The MoU was signed by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti and Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Marsetio at the Naval Headquarters here on Monday. The importance of training and educating fishermen and law enforcement against foreign trespassers were highlighted on the occasion.
"The initial agreement is between the first echelon of the ministry and the Navy's hydrographic department for drawing a map. All this while, our fishermen had not been aware of our country's territorial borders," Admiral Marsetio noted.
The cooperation also covers the mapping of Indonesian sea territory, which aims to educate fishermen about seasonal fish and their areas.
"For example, during November and December, we will be able to locate the right spots to catch shrimps, or other seasonal fishes. Fishermen will be given maps so they do not go too far to catch fish," he added.
The ministry and Navy will cooperate to educate fishermen about law enforcement in our seas, including sea law, international law, as well as international sea customs to avoid any misunderstanding between them and the authorities.
"We will give them safety training and educate them about sea law, international law, national sea law, and international sea customs so that they can identify and avoid misunderstandings with foreign ships, or the patrol ships of the ministry or Navy's ships," Marsetio explained.
However, Marsetio added, the Navy will not deploy special ships to handle illegal fishing, as it can be regulated along with their main duty to protect Indonesian sovereignty and diplomacy on its territory.
"To strengthen our patrol's performance, we also need to exchange information data. For example, the ministry has the FMS (Fishing Monitoring System) data, which had been linked to the Navy's data center. The point is both ministry and Navy own the data," he pointed out.
Minister Susi remarked that the MoU was important for achieving President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's maritime vision for making Indonesia a maritime axis. She called the MoU the main route to gain prosperity and welfare through the maritime sector.
"Hopefully, the MoU between the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and Navy will push our efforts to achieve the main vision of President Jokowi to establish Indonesia's sovereignty in sea. This MoU is very important for the ministry and Navy to protect the Indonesian sea so that its richness can be protected for the people's welfare," she noted.
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