Tuna exports slumping 'due to illegal fishing'

Tuna exports slumping 'due to illegal fishing'

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's tuna exports are likely to drop by
at least 50 percent this year due to the rampant illegal fishing
activities of foreign ships, Minister of Agriculture Soleh
Solahuddin said on Monday.

Soleh said that many foreign ships, most of which were from
Thailand, had operated illegally in Indonesian waters.

"The rampant illegal activities are partly due to our weak
supervision and control," he said after opening a national
agriculture meeting in Bogor, West Java.

"Because of the illegal fishing, Thailand has become the
world's largest tuna exporter although tuna potential in its
waters can only meet 10 percent of the demand from its tuna
industry."

Soleh told Antara that many local fishing companies had sold
their tuna catching permits to foreign ships to gain quick
profits.

"Those local companies sell their permits because they lack
modern equipment to catch tuna," he said.

He added that the lack of sophisticated equipment was the main
obstacle hindering the country's tuna fishing industry because
tuna were highly migratory.

According to data from the Directorate General of Fisheries,
Indonesia catches about 178,000 tons of tuna annually, which is 3
percent of the country's total fishery products.

Indonesia's total export volume of tuna in 1997 was 103,774
metric tons worth US$1.04 billion. It was initially expected to
reach 107,000 tons this year with a value of $1.08 billion.

The country exports most of its fresh and frozen tuna to the
United States, Japan and Singapore, while its canned tuna is
exported to the United States, France, the United Kingdom and
Germany. Forty percent of Japan's imported tuna last year came
from Indonesia. (gis)