Minister Trenggono Reveals Three Horrible Impacts of the Middle East Conflict on the Fisheries Sector

JAKARTA - Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono revealed a number of impacts of the Middle East conflict on the fisheries sector in the country. At least, there are three impacts both directly and indirectly due to the geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East.

Among others, the availability of fuel oil (BBM) for fishermen is limited, the instability of logistics and supply chains, and disruptions in the availability of fish feed raw material supplies.

This was revealed by Trenggono in a Working Meeting with Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, April 7.

"I think everyone knows that global geopolitical dynamics have a very big impact, one of which in the KKP also has a very big impact, including the use of fuel oil for fishermen who are 100 percent to date still using fuel oil," said Trenggono.

Then, said Trenggono, the geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East also caused logistical and supply chain instability. "Then, prices due to distribution are still affected, so that the supply chain from fishery products also has the potential to reduce export volumes to reduce the competitiveness of Indonesian fishery products in the global market," he said.

Then, the third impact is the disruption of the availability of fish feed raw materials. The disruption of the supply of raw materials needed for fish feed production can have an impact on fish farming productivity.

Not only the conflict in the Middle East, the national fisheries sector is also facing pressure from within, namely the 'Godzilla' El Nino phenomenon. Based on a study by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Trenggono said, Indonesia is expected to face the 'Godzilla' El Nino phenomenon which is characterized by extreme climate anomalies in the period April to October 2026.

According to Trenggono, the situation presents two inseparable sides, namely challenges that must be watched out for and opportunities that need to be carefully utilized. From the perspective of risk, he continued, this phenomenon has the potential to trigger serious racial pressure in the mainland, coastal and ocean areas.

"Including increased vulnerability to coastal and marine ecosystems, high evaporation rates can cause a spike in salinity, which has implications for increased disease outbreak risk in cultivated commodities and has the potential to accelerate the degradation of the blue carbon system, which ultimately can significantly increase carbon emissions," he explained.