Ambon (Antara Maluku) - Minister of fishery and marine resources Susi Pudjiastuti has ordered for limiting fishing exploitation in eastern Maluku waters immediately to assure sustainability.
"Fishing activities in Maluku waters must be immediately limited especially by big vessels," she said during a working visit to Ambon, the capital of Maluku province here on Thursday evening.
She admitted that Maluku is the country`s most potential and richest region of fisheries and marine products.
"No other waters that is as rich and potential as Maluku which has now become the ground of large-scale fishing activities," she said.
The richness has opened an opportunity for domestic as well as foreign companies to "blindly" exploit it illegally in a large scale, she said.
"In view of that fishing activities in Maluku waters must first be limited. They must be put in order including the number and capacity of ships involved," she said.
The policy is aimed at preserving the maintaining its marine resource potentials for the welfare of the people as well as the nation in the future, she said.
Based on data as well as observation she said the fish sold by local fishermen in the markets has now been mostly small while the big ones have rarely been seen.
This means there has been a decline with regard to potential, production and traditional fishermen`s catch.
"It is undeniable that Maluku`s fishery potential is huge but the catch sold in the markets are now very small meaning the potential has declined," she said.
She said fishing has now been monopolized by big fishing vessels whose operation has reached coastal areas where traditional fishermen usually fish.
"In the future the fishing quota of big capacity fishing vessels belong to both domestic and foreign businessmen must be limited and so they cannot fish at will," she said.
Minister Pudjiastuti visited Maluku to among other things attend the inauguration of a fishery court by Supreme Court chief justice Hatta Ali and inspect PT Mina Lestari fishing company as well as visit the naval base in the region.
During her visit to PT Mina Lestari she reminded the company`s commissioner SM Tampubolon to reduce the number of foreign crew employed by the foreign investment company.
"Although it is a foreign investment company the number of Indonesian crew must be bigger. We cannot accept a 50 percent allocation because the fishing activities for exports are carried out in the Indonesian waters and so automatically the number of Indonesian crew must be bigger," she said.
With regard to fishing quota she said it was aimed at preserving the sustainability of marine resources and at the same time preventing excessive exploitation.
She said fishing vessels are also not allowed to use trawls in their operation because it would damage ecosystem, coral reefs and the environment.
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Ambon, Maluku 2014
"Fishing activities in Maluku waters must be immediately limited especially by big vessels," she said during a working visit to Ambon, the capital of Maluku province here on Thursday evening.
She admitted that Maluku is the country`s most potential and richest region of fisheries and marine products.
"No other waters that is as rich and potential as Maluku which has now become the ground of large-scale fishing activities," she said.
The richness has opened an opportunity for domestic as well as foreign companies to "blindly" exploit it illegally in a large scale, she said.
"In view of that fishing activities in Maluku waters must first be limited. They must be put in order including the number and capacity of ships involved," she said.
The policy is aimed at preserving the maintaining its marine resource potentials for the welfare of the people as well as the nation in the future, she said.
Based on data as well as observation she said the fish sold by local fishermen in the markets has now been mostly small while the big ones have rarely been seen.
This means there has been a decline with regard to potential, production and traditional fishermen`s catch.
"It is undeniable that Maluku`s fishery potential is huge but the catch sold in the markets are now very small meaning the potential has declined," she said.
She said fishing has now been monopolized by big fishing vessels whose operation has reached coastal areas where traditional fishermen usually fish.
"In the future the fishing quota of big capacity fishing vessels belong to both domestic and foreign businessmen must be limited and so they cannot fish at will," she said.
Minister Pudjiastuti visited Maluku to among other things attend the inauguration of a fishery court by Supreme Court chief justice Hatta Ali and inspect PT Mina Lestari fishing company as well as visit the naval base in the region.
During her visit to PT Mina Lestari she reminded the company`s commissioner SM Tampubolon to reduce the number of foreign crew employed by the foreign investment company.
"Although it is a foreign investment company the number of Indonesian crew must be bigger. We cannot accept a 50 percent allocation because the fishing activities for exports are carried out in the Indonesian waters and so automatically the number of Indonesian crew must be bigger," she said.
With regard to fishing quota she said it was aimed at preserving the sustainability of marine resources and at the same time preventing excessive exploitation.
She said fishing vessels are also not allowed to use trawls in their operation because it would damage ecosystem, coral reefs and the environment.
Editor : John Nikita S
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Ambon, Maluku 2014