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.