3 Super Red Arwana Selling Stores Without Permit In West Kalimantan Sealed By KKP, 545 Fish Tails Secured

KKP officers sealed the sale and purchase of super red arowana fish without a permit in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has sealed the business of buying and selling Arwana Super Red (Scleropages formus) fish without a permit in Pontianak, West Kalimantan (West Kalimantan).

The Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (PSDKP) of the KKP Pung Nugroho Saksono (Ipunk) said the sealing was carried out because Arowana Super Red fish were fully protected fish which were required to be equipped with a Fish Type Utilization Permit (SIPJI) and Fish Type Transport Letter (SAJI) as a requirement for its utilization.

"There are three locations that we have sealed with a total of 545 Arowana Super Red fish," said Ipunk confirmed in Jakarta, Thursday, April 24, which was confiscated by Antara.

He explained that of the three locations, officers found 393 fish in one location with the initials AH at the Limbung Waters Public Works complex, Sungei Raya District.

Then 152 heads in two locations with the initials AG in the warehouse of PT TJS arowana shelter and the owner's residence in Pontianak city

"Currently we are temporarily suspending the business activities of buying and selling arowana fish. We have secured evidence and two perpetrators with the potential to be subject to administrative sanctions in the form of administrative fines," said Ipunk.

Meanwhile, KKP Fishery Resources Supervision Director Halid K Jusuf explained that super red arowana fish are protected fish that are included in the Apendiks Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list whose utilization is regulated in laws and regulations.

"There are procedures, business actors must have SIPJI both for breeding and trade because the Indonesian government has designated arowana fish as a full type of fish through the Decree of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Number 1 of 2021," said Halid.

Halid said the two perpetrators were suspected of violating Article 84 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 4 paragraph (2) of the Minister of Marine Affairs Regulation Number 61 of 2018 concerning the Utilization of protected Fish Types and/or Fish Types which are listed in the CITES Appendical in conjunction with Article 7 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 3 paragraph (2) letter d of the Regulation of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Number 26 of 2022 concerning Amendments to the Regulation of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia Number 31 of 2021 concerning the Imposition of Administrative Sanctions in the Marine and Fisheries Sector.

Previously, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono deeply regretted that there were still business actors who carried out illegal business practices, because they could threaten the conservation class of protected species.

For this reason, his party continues to encourage business actors to prioritize legality and sustainability as the main principle in the use of protected fish species.