Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has informed that it has seized 21 rumpons or fish aggregating devices which act like artificial reefs, allegedly installed by Philippine fishing vessels operating illegally in the Indonesian waters off Papua.
“The rumpon should not be installed in our territorial waters,” director general of marine and fisheries resources surveillance at the ministry, Pung Nugroho Saksono, told journalists in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The discovery of the 21 rumpons, also known as fish houses, has saved Indonesia from material losses worth Rp16.8 billion (around US$1.027 million), he revealed.
Artificial reefs pose a serious threat to Indonesia because they can potentially prevent fish from making their way to the deep sea, he explained.
Moreover, illegal fishing ships can catch ten tons of fish from each rumpon.
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The destructive fishing practice could potentially disrupt the resources of the fishery ecosystem, fish migration, and nursery grounds, he said.
The ministry’s patrol ships have also seized eight permanent pontoon gears installed inside the Indonesian fisheries management area (WPP-NRI) 716 in the Sulawesi Sea, near the maritime border between Indonesia and the Philippines, he disclosed.
As reported earlier, Indonesia continues to face serious threats from foreign fishing vessels conducting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in its maritime territory.
As part of measures to address the threat, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has been granted the authority to detain foreign fishing vessels caught operating illegally in Indonesian waters and conduct preliminary investigations prior to trial.
