North Sumatra Fishermen Complain About Trawl Nets, Recall Concern of Former Kapolda Agus Andrianto

Trawl is a fishing tool consisting of a large net placed underwater. It works by scooping up anything within the reach of the net. Quoted from the official WWF Indonesia website, the use of trawl damages habitats, and the small mesh size also causes the capture of various types of juvenile or immature biota. “Mr President Prabowo, National Fishermen’s Day is a day when fishermen must truly be given attention. How can fishermen catch fish in their own country, on their own land, in their own place if trawl nets are rampant there, on their land?” complained one of seven fishermen in North Sumatra in a circulating video, viewed by detikcom on Friday (10/4/2026). One of the fishermen in the video then recalled the figure of Minister Agus, during his tenure as Kapolda Sumut. He described Agus Andrianto as a figure who cared about the trawl issue and mingled with North Sumatra fishermen groups. “With Mr Kapolda, what was it, with Mr Agus, Agus knows, right? Our Kapolda here, he mixed with the fishermen, Mr Agus. But not for long (Agus Andrianto’s tenure as Kapolda Sumut),” said a fisherman. The fisherman recalled when Agus Andrianto held several meetings with the fishermen. The fisherman personally admitted that he had never been visited by the Kapolda Sumut before or after Agus Andrianto. “We often met face-to-face there before, helped, given groceries, the community gathered in the ashrams several times with Mr Agus. During Mr Agus’s time as Kapolda. (During) Kapolda Mr Agus’s era, fishermen once shook hands (with Kapolda Sumut),” revealed the fisherman wearing a blue shirt and blue cap. “All this time, with changes, never (maintained relations with Kapolda). Mr Agus is one of the good people to fishermen,” he added. Another fisherman admitted that the number of tiger trawl users decreased during Agus Andrianto’s era as Kapolda Sumut. “Alhamdulillah, it decreased, not like this (now),” the fisherman concluded. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) refers to Ministerial Regulation (Permen) of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Number 2 of 2015. This regulation governs the Prohibition of the Use of Trawl (Trawls) and Seine Net (Seine Nets) Fishing Gear in the Management Area of the Republic of Indonesia’s Fisheries.