Ministry eyes people's enhancedrole in actions against fishery crimes

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) is resolved to continue bolstering the involvement of members of the public in actions against illicit practices in the fisheries sector through the empowerment of community monitoring groups.

The ministry's Director General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision, Pung Nugroho Saksono, stated that the government requires support from other parties, including communities, to effectively combat increasingly varied crimes committed in the sector in question.

"Our success in dealing with some big cases is inseparable from the reports we received from the community. Owing to their involvement, we managed to detain the foreign vessel Run Zheng 03 and avert the smuggling of lobster seeds," he noted in KKP's statement cited here on Sunday.

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He further said that Indonesia is prone to illegal and unregulated fishing activities, smuggling of lobster seeds, illegal reclamation, and unlawful use of marine space.

Saksono highlighted the urgent need for the country to prevent and take actions against fish imports that disrupt domestic markets, destructive fishing, and trade of banned or protected species of fish.

Bearing the crimes in mind, he emphasized the importance of involving members of the public in the monitoring of Indonesia's vast expanse of marine space, which, in turn, is expected to help the government address the lack of patrol budget and personnel.

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"The involvement of community monitoring groups is legitimate and recognized by law. People are welcome to submit reports to us, and we will take follow-up actions," he affirmed.

The director general also informed that the KKP had organized a technical briefing for members of community monitoring groups in Cirebon, West Java, on Saturday (December 14).