Indonesia Arrests Two Malaysian Vessels in Crackdown on Illegal Fishing

 

Indonesia is continuing its aggressive enforcement efforts to crack down on illegal fishing. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries reports in the latest effort it has impounded two Malaysian fishing vessels suspected of engaging in illegal fishing in the country’s territorial waters in the Malacca Strait. 

The two vessels were interdicted by the patrol boat Hiu 6, which is based at the Belawan fisheries supervision station, North Sumatra. According to the official account, one vessel, KM SLFA 4584 had three Indonesian crewmembers and a load of around 150 kg of mixed fish. The other vessel, KM SLFA 5210 had four Indonesian crewmembers and 300 kg of mixed fish.

The authorities said that the vessels lacked permit documents from the Indonesian government. In addition, the vessels were reportedly found to be using fish trawling gear, which is prohibited in territorial waters. They alleged the vessels were using trawls that were prohibited.

 “Preliminary investigations show that the Indonesian crew worked in Malaysia without following proper procedures. There is a possibility they paid bribes to cross our border and enter Malaysia illegally,” said Pung Nugroho, the ministry’s director of marine resources and fisheries monitoring. 

They allege it is part of a larger, ongoing problem in the region. The crewmembers they said might have been motivated by high salaries to enter Malaysia and work on the vessels. 

The seizure of the two Malaysian vessels adds to a list of other foreign fishing ships arrested this year. Between January and May, the Ministry reported that it has arrested 13 foreign fishing vessels, consisting of five from the Philippines, three from Malaysia, four from Vietnam, and one from China.

In the past decade, Indonesia has run a spirited campaign against illegal fishing within its vast waters. One of the notable moments was the highly publicized anti-IUU fishing campaign led by the former maritime and fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti. The campaign gained global attention especially after Indonesia decided to blow up and sink vessels suspected of illegal fishing. Between 2014- 2016, Indonesia reportedly blew up over 170 vessels as a warning to foreign fishing fleets engaged in illegal fishing.

While IUU fishing in Indonesia has gone down significantly, the government insists that routine patrols are essential for compliance with the fishing laws. As the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to illegal fishing due to its vast EEZ. At the peak of illegal fishing in 2011, studies show that 20-38 percent of Indonesia’s wild seafood exports had been caught illegally by local fishers and foreign fishing fleets. Indonesia estimated that illegal fishing activities cost its economy at least $3 billion annually in lost revenue.