Government to charge foreign fishing ships

Government to charge foreign fishing ships

SEMARANG (JP): Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said on Saturday that the government was
considering imposing a levy on foreign ships seeking a license to
fish in Indonesia's economy exclusive zone (ZEE).

Sarwono said foreign vessels were currently free to fish in
the zone since the government lifted the ban in the 1980s.

"About 250 Chinese ships are willing to pay US$100,000 a year
each if they are allowed to fish in our waters," Sarwono told
reporters on the sidelines of his visit to PT Aquafarm Nusantara
in the Central Java town of Klaten.

"From Chinese vessels alone, we could earn at least US$25
million annually," he added.

His ministry estimated that about 3,000 ships with Korean,
Taiwanese and Japanese flags fish illegally in Indonesian waters.

Rampant illegal fishing by foreign vessels, according to
Sarwono, was mainly due to poor permit administration.

Sarwono was confident that the ships, given their more
sophisticated equipment, could earn more than Indonesian
fishermen.

"Our fishermen can collect four million tons of fish annually.
We have detected about one million tons of fish are stolen by
foreign ships every year, but I believe that figure is a lot
higher."

He also disclosed on Saturday that about 17,000 tons of karang
(coral) fish were smuggled out of Indonesia to Hong Kong
annually.

This fish is valued at US$40 per kilogram in the international
market, Sarwono said.

The fish are smuggled live into the country in containers and
then cooked on order at Hong Kong restaurants.

Sarwono further blamed lenient law enforcement for rampant
illegal fishing and smuggling, saying "judges here only hand down
the lightest sentences according to the Fishery Law".

"I hope law enforcers become more stringent," he said.

He agreed to suggestions that foreign ships caught fishing
illegally in Indonesian waters should be "destroyed" to avoid any
compromises.

Many have reported that foreign ships were previously released
after they paid a fine to the authorities, Sarwono said.

"But I hope the situation is much better now since we heard
that more foreign ships were impounded. With stricter law
enforcement in the fisheries sector, we hope that sea exploration
and our fisheries can move ahead too," he told reporters.
(har/emf)