Indonesia takes action against illegal fishing
The Indonesian government
has set up a special force to combat foreign boats’ illegal fishing in
the country’s waters.
The move came following a proposal by the
Ministry of Defence after President Joko Widodo assigned the naval force
to play a key role in the fight against illegal fishing.
The
force is managed by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, with
members also from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of
Transportation and the Indonesian National Police (POLRI).
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said the new
force will track data on fishing boats and calculate damage caused by
illicit fishing, among other tasks.
The unlawful practice by foreign vessels has cost Indonesia around 300 trillion rupiah (25 billion USD) a year.
Around 5,400 boats have been reportedly operating illegally in Indonesia’s waters.-VNA