Cooperating With USAID To Prevent Illegal Fishing, KKP Holds Technical Training To Check Foreign Ships

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is working with The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the competence of Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) implementing officers in Indonesia.

PSMA itself is an approval to empower fishery ports in order to monitor illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) theft.

The collaboration aims to prevent and eradicate the IUUF which is a serious threat to the sustainability of marine and fishery resources.

Through this training, port state measures agreement (PSM) officers at Indonesian ports are expected to be able to carry out inspections according to strict security procedures.

Procedures range from document inspection, fishing gear, monitoring of fishery activities, to law enforcement of violations. Thus, IUUF practices can be prevented, hindered, and eradicated.

Head of the KKP Research and Human Resources Agency I Nyoman Radiarta said the training was part of a foreign grant cooperation program, namely the Grant Implementation Agreement on Marine and Fisheries Portfolio (GIA-MFP) which took place during 2022-2027.

The training also involved the Maritime and Fisheries Human Resources Counseling and Development Agency (BPPSDM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"This activity is a form of support for the implementation of the blue economy policy that is being echoed by the KKP. One of the issues that are still a threat is the IUUF practice which is still rampant," said Nyoman in a written statement, quoted Monday, October 23.

Nyoman said that the blue economy is an important thing and is the main reference for restoring marine health and marine potential that can become Indonesia's economic strength.

"Indonesia as a great maritime country has a responsibility to safeguard our marine resources and ensure that they remain available to future generations," he said.

He added, within the framework of PSM, KKP carries out its control function to ensure that foreign fishing vessels entering Indonesian waters operate in a responsible manner and in accordance with applicable regulations.

"Through PSM, we contribute to global efforts to maintain world marine resources and promote sustainable fisheries practices," added Nyoman.

Furthermore, Nyoman hopes that through this training there can be a strong synergy at the fishing port between fisheries supervisors, fishery harborers, and fish quarantine officers under the supervision of fishing vessels, especially foreign fishing vessels.

"We hope to contribute in supporting the success of one of the KKP's blue economy policy implementation strategies, namely maintaining the sustainability of fish resources," he concluded.

For your information, as many as 20 participants have participated in this training in theory in Bogor, West Java, on 16-17 October 2023, and practically at Nizam Zachman Ocean Fishing Port (PPS) North Jakarta, starting on 18-20 October 2023.

The participants came from the Directorate of Fishery Resources Management Supervision, the Directorate of Fisheries Port, PPS Nizam Zachman Jakarta, PPS Bungus Padang, PPS Bitung North Sulawesi (Sulut), Nusantara Fisheries Port (PPN) Pengambengan Bali, and the Jakarta Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision Base (PSDKP).

Then, from the Bitung North Sulawesi PSDKP Base, Benoa Bali PSDKP Base, Lampulo Aceh PSDKP Base, Denpasar Fish Quarantine and Quality Control Center (BKIPM), Jakarta BKIPM, Manado BKIPM, and Padang BKIPM.