Indonesia Calls for Strengthening of Cross-Border Fisheries Surveillance
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia, through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), is encouraging member countries of the Regional Plan of Action to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices including Combating IUU Fishing (RPOA-IUU) to strengthen cross-border fisheries surveillance.
Director General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Surveillance (PSDKP) Pung Nugroho Saksono stated in Jakarta on Thursday that enhancing inter-country surveillance is crucial, given that fisheries crimes often cross jurisdictional boundaries and can only be addressed through cross-border cooperation.
He cited the case of the Russian-flagged vessel MV Run Zeng 03, which was seized in May 2024 for conducting illegal shark fishing in Indonesian waters and those of several other countries, and was suspected of violating human trafficking crimes (TPPO).
As one step to strengthen surveillance, Indonesia, along with international partners, held the Regional Workshop on Crimes in the Fisheries Sector in Bali from 14 to 16 April.
“That forum is very important for enforcing laws on fisheries crimes, which are often transnational in nature and require inter-country cooperation,” said Pung.
The forum was attended by 28 participants from seven RPOA-IUU member countries, as well as experts from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Australia; International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); and International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network.
Secretary of the Directorate General PSDKP Saiful Umam, as Executive Director of the RPOA-IUU Secretariat, added the importance of inter-country cooperation mechanisms, including hot pursuit, as well as the exchange of fisheries information and intelligence to support law enforcement.
RPOA-IUU was established on 4 May 2007 in Bali, Indonesia, as a regional commitment to promote responsible fishing practices and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
RPOA-IUU consists of 11 member countries: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste, Thailand, and Vietnam. Indonesia serves as the RPOA-IUU Secretariat.