TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that the government will soon clarify the legality and use of cantrang following numerous protests from the fishermen. Cantrang is a fishing instrument similar to Danish seine net identified as unsustainable and not environmentally friendly.
“The use of cantrang has been extended twice right? We’ll see what the policy will be like tomorrow. The discussion will be held tomorrow after known fishermen leaders meet with President Joko Widodo,” said Jusuf Kalla at the VP office on Tuesday, January 16.
The cantrang ban policy is introduced by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. The Minister reasons that the use of such fishing instruments harms the livelihood of coral reefs and a large portion of the marine ecosystem.
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The ban was met with resistance from fishermen. They argue that the ban was arbitrarily introduced and does harm to the livelihood of Indonesian fishermen who have used the instrument for a long time. On the other hand, the government failed to provide assurance of providing fishermen with fishing instruments to replace cantrang.
Jusuf Kalla said that the decision resulted from the cantrang discussion will focus on increasing fish exports and other seafood, considering that this year’s fish export was below the target. The Ministry revealed that fish exports in 2017 generated US$3.4 billion, in which it failed to reach its goal of US$5,1 billion.
ISTMAN MP