Huge marine resources not yet tapped<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As a maritime country, Indonesia is proud of its
\nabundant marine resources.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's territorial waters cover a 5.8 million square
\nkilometer area. Some 3.1 million square km are under government
\ncontrol, with 2.7 million square km of exclusive fishing zone
\nareas. The fish stock is estimated to reach about 6.7 million
\ntons per year, comprising 4.4 million tons from Indonesia's
\nterritorial waters and 2.3 million from the exclusive zone areas.<\/p>\n
Coral reefs are home to more than 263 kinds of fish and are
\nideal fishery grounds, as well as a scuba diver's paradise.<\/p>\n
Other sources of ocean wealth include 12 sea grass fields
\nwhich serve as food resources for various marine life, such as
\nsea turtles. Seaweed is another promising asset. Today, more than
\n500 types of seaweed grow in Indonesia's coastal waters, but only
\n56 have been exploited.<\/p>\n
As a result of these rich marine reserves, the country's
\nfishing and marine industries have been rapidly developing.<\/p>\n
Directorate General for Fishery recently revealed that in the
\nperiod of between 1990 and l994 Indonesia's fishery production
\nrose at an average of 6.7 percent annually, from 3.162 million
\ntons to 4.018 million tons.<\/p>\n
Export revenues from fishery products rose from only US$1.262
\nbillion to $1.655 billion during the same period. However, the
\nperiod saw a 44.98 percent annual increase in the import of fish
\nproducts, from only 73,285 tons to 270,925 tons.<\/p>\n
Abdullah said Indonesia should increase its fish production,
\nbecause it is presently only able to process 2.5 million tons of
\nfish annually or 40 percent of the territorial water's estimated
\n6.7 million tons of fish.<\/p>\n
According to 1995 data, fish consumption reached 18.5
\nkilograms per year or 4.7 grams per day.<\/p>\n
The fishery industry contributes about 22 percent of the Gross
\nDomestic Product (GDP). The largest contribution to GDP still
\ncomes from oil and gas (32 percent), industry (20.7 percent),
\ntransportation, communications and shipping (13.4 percent).<\/p>\n
Despite these encouraging facts, huge problems still continue
\nto cloud the country's fishing industry.<\/p>\n
The rapid growth of the fishing industry has benefited only a
\nsmall group of large-scale investors. The lives of traditional
\nfishermen remain as gloomy as ever.<\/p>\n
\"People using traditional techniques will not survive,\" said
\nVictor Manurung from the Agrosocial Economic Research Center. The
\nwaters are being emptied by industrial fishing.<\/p>\n
The current fishery industry utilizes high-tech fishing
\nequipment and effective management systems that are untouchable
\nby simple and adventurous fishermen, who rely mostly on small
\nboats, traditional nets and old-age fishing techniques.<\/p>\n
How can these fishermen compete with larger-scale fishing
\nboats such as trawlers and more sophisticated foreign fishing
\nfleets?<\/p>\n
Currently, about 1.5 million traditional fishermen operate
\n300,000 small boats along the beaches. These small boats cannot
\nreach the 200 nautical miles of international waters which are
\nnow dominated by large domestic and foreign fleets. With such a
\nlimited capacity, local fishermen are unable to benefit from the
\ncountry's fishing industry.<\/p>\n
It is also saddening that only 1,800 Indonesian fishing boats
\noperate in the rich exclusive zone areas. In addition, many are
\nin poor condition. As a result, the rich marine resource areas
\nare a heaven for foreign fishing fleets, which catch millions of
\ntons of fish.<\/p>\n
The operation of foreign fleets has created various problems,
\nincluding overfishing and the violation of fishing permits. Ahmad
\nSuryani, a marine scientist from the Indonesian Science
\nInstitute, said many of them have been over-exploiting marine
\nresources. \"For example, Japanese and Korean trawlers have often
\nbeen caught dumping 90 percent of the unprofitable fish from
\ntheir catch back into the sea,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He warned that the next 10 years are going to be very painful,
\nfull of upheaval for those involved to the fishing industry.<\/p>\n
In many places throughout the world, fish stocks have been
\ndamaged by pollution, the waste of unprofitable fish (bycatch),
\nby destruction of wetlands that serve as nurseries and provide
\nfood and above all, by overfishing.<\/p>\n
The coral reefs have been damaged by people using explosives
\nand cyanide to catch fish, he said.<\/p>\n
Traditional fishermen need empowerment to enable them to
\ncompete with foreign trawlers. At the same time, anyone who makes
\na living from the sea should pay more attention to the wise use
\nof resources in an effort to preserve the environment. (raw)<\/p>",
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