The Government Asked To Follow Up On Illegal Fishing Practices By Foreign Ships In The Arafura Sea

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - The think tank Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI) has proposed to the Indonesian government to follow up on the findings of inspection results related to allegations of illegal fishing practices by two Russian-flagged foreign fishing vessels (KIA) in the Arafura Sea.

In its recommendation released on Monday, June 10, quoted from Antara, IOJI said that this follow-up must be carried out through a firm judicial process to uphold Indonesia's maritime sovereignty.

The agency stated that in order to prevent the entry of KIA involved in illegal fishing into Indonesian ports, the government needs to strengthen the implementation of the International Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) - an agreement aimed at preventing, obstructing, and eradicating the practice of IUU fishing.

Several ways that can be done include strengthening capacity and coordination between law enforcement officers regarding procedures for handling KIA in all ports, both fishing ports and public ports; establishing additional ports that KIA often visits as ports are required to report (designed ports) to implement PSMA.

The Indonesian government must also be actively involved in international forums and cooperation, such as the United Nations food organization (FAO), international maritime organizations (IMO), and international labor organizations (ILO), to provide input and encourage strengthening the information exchange system between countries related to illegal fishing.

Regarding the operation of a dark boat in the Arafura Sea, the Indonesian government is deemed necessary to follow up on the validity of the automatic identification system (AIS) of the Berkah Abadi ship which still uses AIS on behalf of Fu Yuan Yu F77.

This verification aims to ensure the validity of the ship and its activities in the jurisdiction of Indonesia, and establish applicable sanctions in accordance with the Law on Shipping and/or Fisheries Law.

IOJI previously detected the movement of Indonesian fishing vessels built abroad or the Fu Yuan Yu F77 ex-assing ship around the Arafura Sea.

Fu Yuan Yu F77 is indicated to practice IUU fishing because it is not registered and does not have a permit to fish at WPP-NRI. Regarding the ship, it is necessary to further ascertain the status of the ship's existence and licensing by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP).

After being traced, it turned out that the Fu Yuan Yu F77 ship was an Indonesian fishing boat from the north coast of Java Island called Berkah Abadi.

IOJI also detected two foreign fishing vessels with Russian flags, namely Run Zeng 03 and Run Zeng 05, which are suspected of carrying out various illegal activities in the Arafura Sea.

The two ships entered Indonesian waters until they had docked in Tanjung Priok, Pelabuhan Ratu, and Teluk Ambon. Both are also not registered and do not have a license to fish in the area of state fisheries management of the Republic of Indonesia (WPPNRI).