Sarwono wants ban on 'Napoleon' trade

Sarwono wants ban on 'Napoleon' trade

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja said he is pressing for a ban on the fishing of
Napoleon tropical fish and subsequent ban of its trading.

Sarwono told reporters after meeting President Soeharto
yesterday that the ban was necessary because of the way the fish
are caught is destroying precious coral reefs in eastern
Indonesia.

The minister of agriculture has promised to issue the ban
against catching the fish later this month while the minister of
trade said he would follow suit in outlawing trade in the
tropical fish, he said.

The fish is a popular delicacy in Hong Kong where it fetches
up to $150 a kilogram. The fish has to be caught alive, and given
that they live mostly in coral reefs, fishermen simply blow up
the reefs using potassium cyanide explosives and then catch the
stunned fish.

"They are already operating on an alarmingly large scale,"
Sarwono said of the fishermen operating illegally in eastern
Indonesia. "It's not so much the fish that I'm worried about.
It's the destruction to the coral reefs," he said.

He said Indonesian fishermen have joined in the game that was
started by Hong Kong fishermen. The difference is that while the
Hong Kong fishermen came with protective gear, Indonesian
fishermen, because of their simple gear, were exposed to cyanide.

"Within three to six months, they developed illness related to
this exposure. I wouldn't rule out death," he said.

Indonesia benefits nothing from the trade in Napoleon fish, he
said, noting that the trading that has taken place is not even
recorded in the national trade statistics.

He said at one time the Hong Kong fishing boats operated in
the waters off Irian Jaya. They have now moved westwards to
remote areas in Maluku and Sulawesi. Their presence in Indonesian
waters is illegal.

Asked whether Indonesia would consider captive breeding for
Napoleon fish, given the lucrative export market in Hong Kong,
Sarwono said it is a possibility. "But first things first. We
should outlaw catching the fish in its natural habitat." (emb)