Special team established to explore marine resources
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)