Airport officials hinder export of aquarium fish

Airport officials hinder export of aquarium fish

JAKARTA (JP): Officials unaware of export regulations have
hampered the export industry of Indonesian aquarium fish,
participants of a seminar said here yesterday.

Juliati, an aquarium fish exporter, told the meeting at the
Grand Equatorial Hotel here that officials at airports frequently
bar her from exporting jardini arwana (scleropages) fish even
though they are not a protected species.

Director for Agricultural and Forestry Products Exports
Zulkifli Siregar said that of the three species of scleropages
fish in the country -- Formosus, Leichardti and Jardini -- only
the first two are protected under international animal law.

Juliati said that uninformed airport officials often detain
her fish for up to a day at a time.

"Because I'm afraid that the fish might die during a long
journey, I have to do what they want to save the fish," she said.

Siregar said exports of aquarium fish in the last five years
increased by an average of 12.7 percent per annum. However, the
rate is far lower than the 26.6 percent annual increase in world
imports.

He said Indonesia's exports of aquarium fish reached US$7.9
million in 1994, which represented only a 3.5 percent share of
the world market.

The workshop, which ends today, was organized by the Ministry
of Trade in cooperation with the Ministries of Agriculture and
Forestry, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, the Merauke
(Irian) regency administration and the association of Arwana
(scleropages) breeders. (kod)