REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Efforts to fight illegal fishing practices in Indonesian waters had successfully revealed other crimes being committed in the sea, as well, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti said.
"Efforts to fight fish poaching brought to light crimes other than illegal fishing in Indonesian waters," the minister stated here on Tuesday.
She added that illegal fishing in the country was also related to human trading of job seekers and the smuggling of protected animal species.
The minister pointed out that fish poaching also involved the use of ships without certificates of origin. "The operation of vessels without certificates of origin is a gross violation," she emphasized.
Earlier, Pudjiastuti had affirmed that the picture of fish poaching had become clearer after she had assumed her ministerial position six months ago.
She believes she has a clearer picture of illegal fishing in Indonesian seas since implementing her program on combating illegal fishing over the last six months.
"Combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing for the last six months has given us a clearer picture of fish theft," the minister had stated during a meeting with several foreign ambassadors at Mandarin Hotel last month.
The ambassadors of Vietnam, Peru, Norway, Germany, Poland, and South Africa, among others, were present at the meeting.
She further noted that in the past, various illegal fishing activities did not come to light, but currently, efforts made to fight them had yielded positive results.
The minister added that according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the marine and fisheries sector had grown far more than other sectors, such as agriculture and forestry, in the first quarter of 2015.
In addition, she said that exports of Indonesia's fisheries products had declined as a result of the fight against illegal fishing in the country's waters.
According to Pudjiastuti, the revelation of the practice of slavery on crew members onboard a fishing vessel in the waters of Benjina in Maluku was one of the strongest reasons to prioritize the fight against illegal fishing. "We are no longer going about our 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 been known as an agricultural country so far," the minister had stressed after her meeting with the ambassadors.
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