Govt efforts produce sharp decline in poaching boats

Govt efforts produce sharp decline in poaching boats

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

The number of foreign fishing boats poaching in waters across the
archipelago has dropped significantly, a senior government
official said.

In the past, the number of foreign boats plundering Indonesian
fish resources reached more than 5,000 boats annually, causing
yearly losses of US$4 billion to the state, said Minister of
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri.

In 2003, however, the number of foreign poachers had fallen to
some 1,000 boats, with a drop in losses to US$1 billion.

"The credit must be given to the police and military, which
have taken stern measures against them.

"In some cases, the military even sunk recalcitrant foreign
fishing boats, deterring others from roaming in our waters,"
Rokhmin said on Tuesday.

He said the declining number of foreign fishermen operating
illegally in Indonesian waters made it possible for local
fishermen to maximize their catch and boost fish exports. "They
face less competitors, so they were be able to increase their
output," he said.

The country needs to improve its fishery sector, which is
still weak compared to other countries in the region, such as
Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan -- countries which have a
much more limited coastline than Indonesia.

The fishery sectors of those countries contribute some 40
percent of their respective gross domestic product (GDP), while
Indonesia's only contributes 22 percent of GDP.

"The fishery sector in Indonesia, an archipelago with a
coastline measuring 81,000 kilometers, should be able to
contribute much more to our GDP," Rokhmin said.

An archipelagic nation, three-quarters of Indonesia's 5.8
million-square-kilometer territory is sea water.

Rokhmin also said the government targeted an export volume of
9.5 billion tons of fish by 2006. The government has devised a
plan to achieve this target, including the relocation of
fishermen from coastal areas of overharvested waters to
underdeveloped areas.

The government plans to relocate some 1,000 fishermen families
next year from Java to other islands in eastern Indonesia to
maximize fish output. Some Rp 50 billion (US$6 million) has been
earmarked to finance the program.