TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries caught five Vietnamese-flagged fishing boats for alleged illegal fishing in Natuna regency waters.
"This is proof that illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats in Indonesian waters is still rampant," Sharif Cicip Sutradjo, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister said in a written statement on Friday, Aoril 11, 2014.
According to Sharif, illegal fishing threatens Indonesia's marine and fisheries resources management's sustainability. "Illegal fishing must be viewed as an extraordinary crime because it damages marine and fisheries resources and causes losses for the people, especially fishermen," he said.
In addition to illegal fishing, other methods of catching fish using bombs or potassium and cyanide also harm marine and fisheries resources because it damage aquatic ecosystems' condition, and prevent fish from living in the damaged environment.
AYU PRIMA SANDI