KKP-FAO Ready To Hold International Meeting To Discuss IUUF In Bali

Director of KKP Fisheries Port Tri Aris Wibowo (second from the right). (Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) together with the World Food Organization (FAO) will hold a 4th Meeting of The Parties to The FAO Agreement On Port State Measures (PSMA) in Badung Regency, Bali, on 8-12 May 2023.

The meeting, which was attended by hundreds of delegates from PSM member countries, observers, and representatives of international institutions, discussed the role of ports in narrowing illegal unreported fishing (IUUF) practices globally.

"The PSMA activity is part of an effort to prevent the practice of IUU Fishing, which is the approach through the management of fishery ports," said KKP Fisheries Port Director Tri Aris Wibowo at the KKP Building, Jakarta, on Thursday, May 4.

PSMA are provisions made by the government on foreign-flagged fishing vessels that will enter and/or use other fishery port or port facilities appointed in order to prevent, obstruct, and eradicate illegal fishing, not reported, and not regulated (IUUF).

Indonesia ratified the PSMA international agreement since 2016 and has designated four fishing ports as locations for leaning fishing vessels and foreign-flagged fishing vessels, namely Nizam Zachman Ocean Fishing Port (PPS), PPS Bitung, PPS Bungus, and Benoa Public Port.

"With PSMA's actions against foreign ships, it has shown that we are concerned about IUUF Fishing, both eradication and prevention. What are the benefits? One of them is increasing the competitiveness of fishery products because it emphasizes the clarity of the emergence of fishery products and Indonesia has no worries against illegal acts," said Tri Aris.

Since the beginning of this year, 12 foreign ships with Japanese flags have been anchored at the Benoa Public Works and have been examined by PSM.

In general, the ships aim to change crew and fill in supplies.

On the same occasion, Chairperson of the 4th Meeting of The PSMA Nilanto Perbowo added, in the meeting he would discuss a number of agendas, including the status of the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Actions (PSMA), as well as a strategy to increase PSMA's effectiveness through data exchange and fisheries information for each participating country in narrowing the IUUF movement space.

"Hopefully, at the time of the meeting later from start to finish, the participants are enthusiastic and cooperative to be able to complete all the documents that have been prepared in several working group meetings. So, in the future the PSMA instrument will be more complete which will be used by all parties as a guide," he said.

"The agreement on the exchange of information and transparency from all parties, so that the goals of this PSMA can be obtained. This is the purpose of this meeting," added Nilanto.

Meanwhile, FAO Regional Project Coordinator Muralidharan Chavakat Manghat said his party's support in eradicating IUUF globally, such as making eradication roadmaps and carrying out digital transformations through monitoring fishing vessels.

"I appreciate Indonesia as a country that ratifies PSMA as an effort to prevent IUUF," he added.