KKP Capture 210 Illegal Fishing Vessels, Total Loss Reaches IDR 3.7 Trillion

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has arrested 240 fishing vessels throughout 2024. Of these total, there are 30 foreign fishing vessels (KIA) and 210 vessels originating from Indonesia.

The Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (PSDKP) of the KKP Pung Nugroho Saksono or Ipunk said that Indonesian ships violated many because they were still using fishing gear that damaged marine ecology.

"There have been arrests of 240 ships that committed violations, consisting of 30 foreign flag ships and 210 Indonesian ships. Why was the Indonesian ship also arrested? It turned out that Indonesian ships also violated. When they committed violations, PNPB was not achieved. This is where we took action against Indonesian flag ships," said Ipunk at a press conference at the KKP office, Friday, December 20.

To deter the perpetrators, his party took criminal action and administrative sanctions in the form of fines. These violations caused state losses to reach Rp3.7 trillion.

"We calculate here, we managed to secure state losses resulting from illegal fishing perpetrators, there was Rp3.7 trillion," he said.

The cases of illegal fishing vessels that were successfully uncovered included the Russian Flagship MV Rung Zeng 03, the arrest of foreign vessels in the Pacific Ocean of the Natuna Sea to the Malacca Strait. Ipunk explained that KIA caught using a clump so that the fish could not enter Indonesian territory.

"The lifting of these clumps is also important, because the clumps installed, especially by foreign ships, turned out to be making forts. So, fish in the Pacific Ocean cannot enter our territory. Now, there are ships taken from the Philippines, we cut it (the drone)," he said.

"The PSDKP surveillance operation at sea, especially in the eradication of illegal fishing using our surveillance vessel fleet and patrol aircraft," concluded Ipunk.