TEMPO.CO, Kendari - Maritime Affairs and Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti will drown another 100 fishing boats that were caught doing the practice of illegal fishing in Indonesian waters. The plan will be executed at the end of 2017.

Minister Susi acknowledges that the case of foreign fishermen fishing in Indonesian waters has become a serious problem that needs to be handled correctly. Therefore, she thinks that hard sanctions are needed to eradicate mafias in the fishing industry.

Read: Minister Susi Cancels Auction of Illegal Fishing Boats

She claims that the positive effects of being strict against the fishery mafia during the last two years can be felt today. The national fish supply had risen from 6 million tons to 12 million tons. If it is converted to dollars per ton, multiplying six million and 13 dollars equals to an astonishing Rp6,000 trillion.

“We've drowned 317 boats in the last two years and we will be drowning 100 foreign fishing boats in Selayar Island in South Sulawesi,” said Minister Susi while she opened the First International Seminar on Sustainability in the Marine Fisheries Sector (ISSMFS) 2017 at Universitas Halu Oleo (UHO) in Kendari on Saturday, September 16.

Fishing boats with foreign nationality flags often enter Indonesian waters not just to steal fish (illegal fishing), but based on an investigation by the ministry, they also smuggle other objects into Indonesia such as cigarettes, rice, plywood, and firearms.

“Many weapons are distributed to separatist regions such as Poso and Aceh,” Susi revealed.

ROSNIAWANTY FIKRI