516 Illegal Vessels Sunk since 2014
Jakarta, MINA – The Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs (KKP) since 2014 until June 2019 has sunk 516 illegal Vessels. Hundreds of these vessels were sunk for fishing illegally in various Indonesian waters.
Meanwhile, from January to June 2019, Indonesian sea police has captured 67 illegal vessels consisting of 17 Malaysian ships, 15 Vietnamese ships, 3 Philippine vessels and 32 Indonesian vessels.
“The success in catching fishing vessels for illegal fishing is inseparable from an integrated monitoring system between air surveillance, surveillance vessel operations at sea, and fishing vessel monitoring systems (vessel monitoring system / VMS),” said Agus.
In line with this, the KKP in collaboration with the Task Force 115, the Attorney General’s Office, and other relevant agencies have also eliminated as many as 28 illegal fishing vessels that have obtained inkracht court decisions throughout January-June 2019.
The figure consists of 23 Vietnamese ships, 3 Malaysian ships, 1 Philippine ship, and 1 Indonesian ship. The vessels add to the number of ships that have been sunk since October 2014-June 2019 to 516 vessels.
Previously, the Indonesian Marine Bachelor Association (Iskindo) appreciated the agreement in the G-20 forum regarding Indonesia’s initiative and leadership in combating the practice of IUUfishing or illegal fishing.
“Although the agreement is non-binding, it will be a concern of the G20 countries in providing support for efforts to reduce the practice of IUU around the world,” said Iskindo Daily Chairman Moh Abdi Suhufan.
In the G20 forum which took place in Osaka Japan, 28-29 June 2019, leaders of the G20 countries managed to agree on the parties’ commitment to tackle IUU fishing globally. For this success, Iskindo gave an appreciation to the Indonesian delegation at the meeting of the heads of state.
With the agreement, he continued, the IUU issue would be of concern to the G20 countries within the framework of global cooperation.
“We give appreciation to the Indonesian government which in the past 4 years has consistently eradicated IUU and has opened the eyes of the world about the mode, crime, impact and methods of eradicating IUU through a legal approach,” he said.
According to him, the agreement is one of the forms of Indonesia’s struggle at the world level to invite other countries to protect fish resources.
He stressed that the Republic of Indonesia is one of the countries in the world that has succeeded in increasing fish stocks from the reduction of IUU fishing practices in Indonesian waters. (R/Ast/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
