Fishermen caught for bombing fish

JAKARTA (JP): Seven fishermen were arrested by coastal police officers yesterday for using bombs and prohibited poisonous substances in the Thousand Islands in North Jakarta.

Four of the seven were arrested near Semak Daun island. "They were using sulfur bombs to catch fish. This is very dangerous because besides killing baby fish, their action also damaged the environment," officer P. Sembiring said.

The other three men were caught while diving into the sea near Pulau Air island with a spray containing a poisonous liquid potassium cyanide.

The three men confessed that they used the substance to drug the fish to make catching them easier.

"We just drugged them to enable us to sell them alive as ornamental fish in Jakarta," one of the suspects said.

According to the suspects, they catch kelong, kerapu, suangen and beta fish. They are usually sold for between Rp 500 (US 18 cents) and Rp 9,000 each.

The police also seized two fishing boats, three sulfur bombs, a drum of potassium cyanide and fish.

The seven men were identified as Somad, 35, Sailan, 35, Sugeng, 30, Djoko, 31, Sony, 33, Rusli, 24, and Rachmat bin Romin, 35. All are Jakarta residents.

The suspects were also taken before the assistant to the minister of environment, Hamar Martono, who launched the environment training service on Pramuka island yesterday.

"Their operations have been bugging the real fishermen for years. None of the 'fish thieves' come from the islands," Kusminardi, the security chief at the Thousand Islands' Sea Park, said.

"They threaten the fishermen and we can do nothing to oppose them because they usually have a big boat with sophisticated equipment," he said.

According to Kusminardi, the illegal fishing is usually conducted on weekdays but stops at the weekend, when many tourists head to Thousand Islands.

"They (the thieves) are afraid of crowds. And fish usually disappear when people gather and make a lot of noise," he said.

Kusminardi also said that his agency had set up a program called Jagawana to guide tourists and divers at weekends.

"That way, we can control the activities of the visitors while earning extra money," he said.

Hamar said that the suspects would be processed and punished according to existing laws. The minimum penalty for illegal bomb- fishing according to Law No. V/1990 on environment violation is 10 years in prison and a Rp 200 million fine. (07)