REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Living in a country, which is rich in fisheries resources, the Indonesian people have been urged to eat more fish to increase their protein intake and boost the growth of the nation's younger generation.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ministry said eating more fish will be useful in increasing the people's protein intake and for overcoming the growth problem of Indonesian children. "In the past 10 years, one (in three) Indonesian children grew shorter due to (inadequate) food quality," KKP Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said on Wednesday.

She said with the efforts of her ministry to fight fish theft in Indonesian waters, the quantity of fish and fish protein for domestic consumption in the society could be increased.

Therefore, she said, foreign consumers would not be the only party who would enjoy the country's premium fish products through exports, but the local Indonesian population could also enjoy the benefits of these resources.

"Ideally, we export fish after our consumption needs at home have been met," the minister said, adding that the Indonesian people will meet their nutritional intake and become healthier if they obtain adequate protein.

The People's Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) expects the government to optimize production in the maritime and fishery sector for domestic consumption owing to the fact that the size of the population has increased rapidly over the past several decades. Indonesia's population is now pegged at about 250 million.

"Since the 1990s, the proportion of fishery production for consumption has been increasing. Some 71 percent of fish production in the 1980s was allocated for human consumption," Kiara Secretary General, Abdul Halim said.

He said during the period of 1976-2012, the world fish and fishery trade increased 8.3 percent in nominal terms and 4.1 percent in real terms per annum.

Abdul therefore urged the KKP to remain focused on safeguarding the country's fish resources amid reports that a number of countries are experiencing a decline in their fish catch.

"Poaching will continue to be a challenge for the Indonesian people because many countries which have run short of fishery resources," the Kiara Secretary General said.

The KKP had earlier said that there has been an upward trend in the fish consumption of the Indonesian people. The increasing trend is believed to be the results of campaigns asking people to increase fish consumption in various parts of the country.

The KKP in its written statement made available to Antara on March 24, said the country's per capita fish consumption per annum was recorded at 42.11 kilogram (kg) in 2015, exceeding the target set at 40.90 kg per capita per annum.

In 2014, fish production for domestic consumption was set at 13.07 million tons, up 10.01 percent from 2013.

Although it is important to supply fish for domestic consumption, the country also needs to increase its fish exports.

Toward this end, the KKP will gather the profiles and business plans of fisheries companies in the country to make it easier in the calculation of the country's fisheries exports.

"If we know the profiles and performance of fisheries industry, it will make it easier for us to calculate our export targets," KKP Director General for the Promotions of Maritime and Fisheries Products, Nilanto Perbowo said on March 30.

Nilanto also invited various partners of fisheries associations to provide data about their performance and business plans.

This will be useful for setting the export target and for the issuance of fishery raw material import licenses, he said.

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