Fisherman Rote Ndao NTT Hopes Australia Allows To Search For MoU Box Boundaries

Photo via Antara.

The fishermen of Rote Ndao Regency in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) asked the Australian government to allow the search for fish into Australian waters measuring around 50,000 km2 in the Timor Sea or known as the MoU Box limit.

"Currently our fish catch has decreased considerably when compared to the previous ones. Therefore, sometimes our fish search is out of the MoU Box," said Dahlan Prabu, a fisherman from Papela Village, East Rote District, Rote Ndao Regency, NTT, Thursday, December 1, confiscated by Antara.

The fishermen of Rote Ndao conveyed this during a campaign to prevent cross-border illegal fishing held by the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) in Rote Ndao, NTT.

Papela Village is known for its fishermen who often catch fish to the territorial waters between Indonesia and Australia.

Of the approximately 2,000 inhabitants of the village, 92 percent make a living as traditional fishermen. They are looking for cross-border fish that enter into the area in the agreement of the MoU Box.

Dahlan added, according to MoU Box rules between Indonesia and Australia, fishermen from Indonesia, especially from Rote Ndao, are only allowed to fish on sea level, while basic fish are not allowed, such as tripang, kima, and several other marine products.

"If they find it, our ship will be detained and we will be taken to Australia for punishment," he said.

In response, the Manager of the International Compliance Operations Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) Lydia Woodhouse said the proposal would be accommodated. He said he would convey it to the Australian government after returning from Rote Ndao.

"But of course if this is done it needs a meeting of two countries, because this MoU Box was agreed in 1974," he added.

The Main Fisheries Supervisor of the Directorate General of PSDKP KKP RI Nugroho Aji also said that the various proposals would later be accommodated and he would convey it to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss further the request.

"Our arrival is only socialization so that our fishermen do not violate international law, if there are proposals, we will accommodate them, it will be submitted to the central government," he said.