Cases of illegal fishing in Indonesian waters are alarming. The numbers are increasing from year to year.
Based on estimates from the UN Food Agency or FAO, Indonesia losses due to illegal fishing practices is estimated at Rp30 trillion (US$5,189,413,596).
People’s Coalition for Fishery Justice, an NGO, has even counted at least Rp50 trillion losses to government earnings of non-tax revenue in the fisheries sector.
“As stipulated under Article 2 of Government Regulation No. 19 Year 2006 concerning Amendment to the Government Regulation Number 62 Year 2002 concerning Tariff of Non Tax Revenue,” said KIARA secretary-general Riza Damanik, in Jakarta, Sunday (12/16).
Riza explained that this type of non-tax revenue is subject of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, among others, include revenues from fishing fees, fishing port services and service of development and testing of fishery quality.
In addition, the non-tax revenue also collected from fisheries development services, aquaculture services, and fish quarantine services, education and training services, and facility rental services. It happened, said Riza, because of the increasing number of illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.
Riza also described his data in details; a number of 155 cases of illegal fishing had occurred in 2001, 210 cases in 2002, around 522 cases in 2003, in 2004 there were 200 cases, 174 cases in 2005, and in 2006 there were 216 cases.
Continued in 2007 as many as 184 cases, in 2008 there were 243 cases, in 2009 there were 203 cases, 2010 saw 183 cases, in 2011 there were 104 cases. “And in 2012, until August 2012, there were 75 cases,” explained Riza.
Ironically, said Riza, government officials actually involved in weakening the rule of law against practices of illegal fishing. It happened in Natuna, Riau Islands.
Not only that, government officials also involved in obstructing efforts to prove a fisheries crime during court fisheries, the spread in North Jakarta, Medan, Pontianak, Bitung, and Tual.
“In this context, the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia does not carry out the mandate of Law Number 45 of 2009 on Fisheries and Instruction of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Number 15 Year 2011 on the Protection of fishermen,” Riza ended.
2012 skalanews