Special team established to explore marine resources

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso said on Thursday that a special team would be established to explore the city's marine assets in accordance with the central government's commitment to boost the maritime industry.

"A team of experts from Bandung Institute of Technology, University of Indonesia and the city administration will conduct research on the city's marine resources and recommend any feasible resources to be developed," he told reporters.

"The team is also responsible for making the city's sea boundaries.

"Up to now, we don't have any clear information on our sea boundaries. Such a condition has prevented us from conducting an exploration of the city's marine resources."

The exploration of the city's marine resources has focused on developing fisheries. Only until recently have previous City Council members revealed an abundance of natural gas and oil resources in some 11,000 square kilometers in the waters of Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) marine resort in North Jakarta.

The new government's promise to develop the country's maritime industry has won applause from the public.

A member of City Council's Commission E for social welfare, Audy I.Z. Tambunan, expected the team's recommendation could pave the way for the development of the city's marine resources.

"Perhaps in the future, revenue from fisheries can replace the city's main source of income -- taxes and levies," he said on Thursday.

Audy urged the city fishery agency to start teaching fishermen how to upgrade fishing skills and knowledge and to be more productive.

Although the government had yet to provide practical guidance, fishermen in the city have expressed hope that the plan would improve their economic life.

It is no secret that fishermen are poor mostly because they receive a small share from fisheries revenue, an agency official said earlier this week.

The agency data showed that 19,425 fishermen in the city only received a small portion from the city's US$124.29 million in fish exports in 1998.

Fishermen said recently that they could improve their income if they were provided direct access to the fish market.

However, the head of the program division of the fishery agency, Nugroho Syam Subagio, said that such mechanisms would not benefit fishermen.

"I think what is important for them is to have a bigger share in fisheries. It's not the proper time for fishermen to join fish trading, which needs such a huge investment.

"At least the fishermen must have boats, which I believe would be a burden for them. So it's better for them to just go fishing," he said. (ind)