House endorses new law on fishery<\/p>\n
Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives endorsed on Tuesday a new law on
\nfisheries, which not only stipulates a more sustainable way of
\nexploiting sea resources, but also stern punishments, including
\njail terms and heavy fines for illegal fishing activities.<\/p>\n
The enactment of the law, after about a year of deliberation,
\nis expected to help reduce rampant illegal fishing activities in
\nthe country's waters, which have caused the state trillions of
\nrupiah in losses annually, Minister of Maritime Affairs and
\nFisheries Rokhmin Dahuri said.<\/p>\n
Rokhmin said that, even before the enactment of the law, the
\nmaritime and fisheries ministry -- set up in 2000 -- had managed
\nto scale down the number of foreign ships operating illegally in
\nthe country's territory from some 7,000 to just above 1,000,
\nsaving about US$3 billion in potential losses per year.<\/p>\n
\"We expect to reduce that figure even more after the enactment
\nof the law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The sheer size of Indonesia's waters -- with a total area of
\nsome 5.8 million square kilometers -- offers enormous economic
\npotential, with no less than 6.4 million tons of fish caught
\nyearly.<\/p>\n
However, illegal fishing in Indonesian waters is widespread
\nand mostly carried out by foreigners.<\/p>\n
Under the new law, any party proven guilty of illegal activity
\nin the sea -- including illegal fishing, or fishing that is not
\nin line with existing regulations, such as the use of explosive
\nmaterials -- could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison or a
\nRp 2 billion (US$217 million) fine.<\/p>\n
The law also says the ministry is allowed to auction seized
\nships and equipment used for illegal fishing. The money could be
\nused, in part, to provide financial incentives for qualified law
\nenforcers.<\/p>\n
The law also specifies a particular time frame, from the
\ninvestigation to the trial process, to ensure legal certainty.<\/p>\n
To improve law enforcement, Rokhmin said, the law paved the
\nway for the establishment of a special court to specifically deal
\nwith cases related to maritime affairs and fisheries.<\/p>\n
While it would be under the district court in certain areas,
\nthe special court would be independently in charge of processing
\nand handing down verdicts related to such cases. The verdicts
\nwould be delivered by a board of three judges -- one district
\ncourt career judge and two ad hoc judges.<\/p>\n
\"With this special court, any case can hopefully be processed
\nwithin a short period. Probably a month, which is important to
\ncreate legal certainty,\" Rokhmin said.<\/p>\n
The law will effectively replace Law No.9\/1985 on fisheries.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-endorses-new-law-on-fishery-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }