TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - House of Representatives` (DPR) Commission IV member Ichsan Firdaus said that the moratorium on the use of trawl initiated by Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti must be reviewed.
“When making a policy, we need to consider the impact,” Ichsan said in a discussion held in Jakarta on Saturday, May 13, 2017.
Earlier, the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry imposed a moratorium on the use of trawl this year. According to the Ministry, the use of trawl is not environmentally friendly.
Fishermen are encouraged to use a tool called 'gillnet', which according to the Ministry is safer than a trawl. Gillnet has been developed by the government for a 10-GT vessel.
However, the shift from trawl to gillnet was not as smooth as expected. Many fishermen operating 10-GT vessels have not received the tool yet.
Ichsan added that evaluation of the trawl moratorium could be conducted in several ways, such as arranging a dialogue with fishermen, setting a database related to the shift from trawls to gillnets, and looking into feedbacks from the public.
“Although the intention is good, a policy that has negative impacts is not good. I’m pessimistic [there will be a change] if Minister Susi refuses to have a dialogue with stakeholders,” Ichsan said.
Presidential chief of staff Teten Masduki claimed that the government has conducted an evaluation on the moratorium, in order to determine steps to be taken after President Jokowi allows the use of trawls until the end of 2017.
“Fishermen is not ready yet [with the trawl moratorium], and it could cause a social problem if there’s no flexibility in the policy. President Joko Widodo has heard about the complaints from fishermen and regional heads,” Teten told Tempo via text message.
ISTMAN MP