TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti spoke about illegal fishing in New York, the United State. She was attending Rare Side Event’s The Forgotten Fisheries during his working visit to the state on June 5, 2017.
Susi said that Indonesia’s fisheries management in the past did not pay attention to the sustainability issues. She revealed that illegal fishing has caused Indonesia to lose 30 percent of fish supplies, based on the statistical data collected in the period of 2003-2013.
When she run a business in the fishery sector, Susi recalled that she had to export at least 30 tons of fish products to Japan and the US. One day, the minister said that she only managed to get 100 kilograms.
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“I didn’t realize why it happened [at that time]. When I was appointed as a minister, I found the problem. It was caused by illegal fishing and unsustainable fish catching practices,” she revealed.
Susi later issued anti-illegal fishing policies, as soon as she was appointed as a minister. The policies include the moratorium on foreign fishing vessel permits, bans on transshipment, and bans on environmentally-unfriendly fishing equipment.
According to her, implementing the policies was not easy, particularly for small and developing countries. Susi revealed that she had to face multi-national and transnational businesses.
Susi pointed out that the efforts came to fruition as Indonesia’s fish supplies increased significantly from 6.5 tons in 2014 to 12 tons in 2016. In addition, domestic fish consumptions also climbed from 36 kilograms per capita in 2014 to 43 kilograms per capita in 2016.
The minister called on other UN country members to wage a war against illegal fishing and restrict fish quota. Indonesia, she went on, has been successful in increasing its tuna supplies. Susi claimed that 60 percent of world’s yellowfin tuna supplies come from to the global Indonesia.
MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI
