Poaching by foreign vessels rampant

PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): As many as 4,000 foreign ships have illegally entered Indonesian waters in the past year, exploiting the country's maritime resources, claimed Son Djamar, secretary of the Indonesian Maritime Board.

Son, who is also an expert staff to the minister of maritime and fisheries, said here that as a result of the illegal poaching, the country had incurred some Rp 100 trillion in lost revenue.

He claimed most of the losses were the result of illegal fishing.

"The foreign ships should become our concern as they might cause a decline in the country's resources," Son said during a discussion here with representatives of the West Sumatra provincial administration on Tuesday.

Apart from the direct loss of fishing revenue, other negative effects of the poaching were degradation of the environment from the destruction of coral reefs as a result of dynamite fishing, damage to mangrove forests and a decline in water sports.

He warned that if unchecked, the activities of these illegal foreign fishing vessels would directly impact the livelihood of local fishermen.

Son stressed that an interdepartmental approach was needed to overcome the problem, particularly for the challenging job of securing Indonesia's 81,000-kilometer coastline.

Son called for tough action against the illegal foreign vessels. "Just shoot the foreign ships if necessary, so they'll be afraid to loot our waters," he remarked.(02/28)