Minister Of KKP Trenggono: State Experienced Losses Due To Hundreds Of Millions Of Lobster Seeds Smuggled To Other Countries

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono revealed that the state suffered losses due to hundreds of millions of lobster clear seeds (BBL) being smuggled into other countries every year.

Trenggono also assigned the Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (PSDKP) Pung Nugroho Saksono (Ipung), who had just been inaugurated, to take firm action against the BBL smugglers.

"I conveyed to the Director General of PSDKP not to be afraid, so far it is for the benefit of the state, for the public interest, and we are not playing games there. If we can stop this smuggling, we can do a lot for the development of the marine and fisheries sector," he said when inaugurating high-ranking KKP officials, in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, June 12.

He explained that no less than 500 million BBL is smuggled into other countries every year, this makes him nervous, because the state does not get anything from this activity. The issue of smuggling BBL is indeed the focus of the KKP in line with the issuance of Permen KP Number 7 of 2024 as the basis for the rules in lobster governance in Indonesia.

The KKP has also formed a PMO 724 team to ensure that the implementation of the new regulations runs optimally, both in terms of BBL capture, lobster cultivation, and the monitoring system for the utilization of marine biota.

The KKP, he said again, is also actively synergizing with other law enforcement officers to arrest the perpetrators of the smuggling of fry. As of mid-May, BBL was foiled eight times with a total of 982,025 fuel being secured through collaboration with various parties, such as airport officers, the police to the Indonesian Navy.

Meanwhile, Trenggono today also inaugurated the Head of the Quality Control and Supervision Agency of Marine and Fisheries Products (BPPMHKP) Ishartini, who previously served as the executor of the task, as well as three other officials, respectively, the Expert Staff of the Minister for Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs Agus Suherman, SAM for Ecology and Sea Resources Hendra Yusran Siri, and the Main Expert Functional Officer for Marine Fishery Production Management Miazwir.