NTT Police Chief Strict Order Inspector General Latif: Acts Of Fish Bombing

East Nusa Tenggara Regional Police Chief Inspector General Pol Lotharia Latif ANTARA/Kornelis Kaha

KUPANG - East Nusa Tenggara Regional Police Chief Inspector General Lotharia Latif ordered the ranks, especially in the West Manggarai Police area which is a tourist area, to take firm action against the perpetrators of catching fish using fish bombs.

"East Nusa Tenggara as a tourist destination saves a lot of marine wealth with various species of fish and coral reefs. Tourists not only enjoy the beautiful beach atmosphere but the beauty of the habitat in the waters. It's a shame if the beauty under the sea is damaged, therefore the illegals fishing must be dealt with firmly," he said in Kupang, reported by Antara, Thursday, September 30.

According to him, illegal fishing activities using non-environmentally friendly tools can cause huge losses, especially to the preservation of existing aquatic ecosystems.

For this reason, the Directorate of Air and Water Police (Ditpolairud) of the Regional Police of NTT, he said, will continue to strive to protect the sea from the threat of "destructive fishing" by carrying out "Illegal Fishing" operations in the near future.

"We have scheduled the time for an "Illegal Fishing" operation to be held in the waters of NTT on a large scale, not only in tourist areas in Labuan Bajo, but throughout NTT," he said. He said that the latest case in West Manggarai showed that there are still many people who do not understand about protecting the sea and its contents.

"For the incident in West Manggarai, which is a tourist area, the local police have arrested the perpetrators and will definitely take firm action," he said.

He appreciated the people in West Manggarai who did not use bombs to find fish. However, the perpetrators came from Bima, NTB.

The Kapolda hopes that there will be cooperation and proactiveness from the community to carry out joint surveillance and if you see this incident, it will be reported to the police and other relevant agencies in order to minimize the incident.