Securing our Seas

THE decline in the number of fishing boats since the government imposed the moratorium has exposed the main cause of the massive fishing theft in Indonesian waters, and that is the gross manipulation of the licensing process. Through the moratorium, which took effect on November 6 last year, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti halted all new licenses and is now reviewing the licenses of fishing boats weighing over 30 gross tons, until next April.

This policy requires all boats to return to their port of origin pending a review or a verification of their ownership. The objective is to ensure the legality of the boat's identity and their operating licenses. Another goal is to catch boats operating under illegally-issued licenses. Tempo's investigative report clearly shows that the sudden disappearance of hundreds of Indonesian-flagged boats over the nation's waters is nothing more than an attempt to avoid verification, because their licenses will turn out to be fakes. Many boats flying Indonesian flags are now moored in Thai ports because their owners are unquestionably local citizens there.