Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Antara 3 Jan 13;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The People`s Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara) has urged the government to control fish production in 2013 to prevent over-fishing like in 2012.

"In line with Law Number 45 of 2009 on fisheries, the main purpose of fishery management is not increasing the volume of fish production and to deplete the resource," Kiara secretary general M Riza Damanik said here on Thursday.

Riza said the ministry of fisheries and marine resources has reported fish catch production in 2012 at 5.81 million tons or 89.1 percent of the country`s total fish potentials.

He deplored the boasting of the production as an achievement saying that the main purpose of the management of fisheries and marine source sectors was assuring preservation of the resources and increasing the supply and consumption of fish protein.

"The maximum rate of fishing is 80 percent of the total potentials based on the FAO regulation," he added.

He meanwhile said that the decision of the minister of fisheries and marine resources number 45 of 2011 on estimates on fish potentials in Indonesia`s fish exploitation area states that Indonesia`s total fish potentials is 6.5 million tons.

So, the volume of fish catch production in 2012 had already surpassed the sustainability level namely by around nine percent or 600,000 tons, he said.

"In view of that fish exploitation in 2012 was not sustainable and could help cause a fish crisis in the future," he said.

To overcome the problem he said production of fish in 2013 must be returned to the sustainable level by limiting the issuance of fishing licenses especially in the waters of Aru, Timor, Java, Malacca Strait and the Indian Ocean.

"It is then followed by serious efforts in eradicating fishing crimes and stopping exports of non-processed fish products," he said.
(Uu.H-YH/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH