REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SAMOSIR -- Fish farmers in the regency of Samosir, North Sumatra, reject plan to totally ban fish farming using floating net cage (KJA) in Lake Toba.

"We agree to reject the plan despite plan to form a Lake Toba Authority Agency (BODT) to promote Lake Toba as a tourist destination," Jonas Sitanggang,a fish farmer in the village of Tanjung Bunga said on Wednesday.

BODT, instead of depriving the people of their livelihood, should help improve the people's economy, Jonas said.

"We would comply with regulation on selective ban but not totally cleaning the lake from KJA," he said.

Head of the district Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fishery Service Rensus Simanjorang said there had been no final decision to ban KJA in the country's largest lake.

Rensus said KJA was discussed at a meeting at the office of the coordinating minister for law , security and political affairs, but no decision was made as heads of all regencies around the lake wanted to discuss the issue internally in their respective areas.

Rensus said based on the presidential regulation No. 81 in 2014, the regency of Samosir has three sub-districts (kecamatan) as a zone of KJA farming.

The government would monitor that the farmers would not expand their KJA, he said.

The issue banning KJA in the lake came after hundreds of tons of fish died polluting the lake in Haranggaol in the regency of Simalungun recently.

Local officials believed that the fish died for lack of oxygen and remnant of fish feed that turned poisonous on the lake bed.

President Joko Widodo has said Lake Toba would be developed as major tourist destination in the country, and for that purpose the BODT has been formed.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika