By: Izhwar Riyadi *)
Jakarta, CIDISS – Bang!!! Bang!!! (Sound of explosion) At least that was the sound of an explosion from 20 fishing vessels foreigners which was drowned by Marine Central (Lantamal) from West Region Indonesian Fleet Command (Koarmabar) in collaboration with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) in five different places, on Monday, 22/02/2016 ago. The sites, namely in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, (8 boats), Bitung in North Sulawesi (10 boats), Batam, Kepulauan Riau (6 boats), Tahuna, North Sulawesi (1 boat), and Belawan, North Sumatra (1 boat). The process of blasting the ship was directly led by the Minister of Marine and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti by live streaming from the CTF Office, Jakarta.
The whole ship was legally convicted for a criminal offense in Indonesia’s marine area. Culling has been in accordance with Article 76A of Act Number 45 of 2009 on the Amendment of Act No. 31 of 2004 on Fisheries, the objects and/or tools used in and/or resulting from criminal acts fisheries can be seized for the state or destroyed after obtaining the approval of the Chairman of the District Court.
Destruction of the ships would be good news for the Indonesian fishermen because there are no more strangers who steal fish in their catchment areas. In addition, the destruction of the ship is also intended to make the thieves of the fish to be no longer do an illegal fishing in Indonesia. Thus, Indonesia’s marine wealth will be fully enjoyed by the people of Indonesia, especially the fishermen.
In addition to culling, we also need to be cared for the conditions of under the sea, with the police underwater ecosystem such as maintaining the presence and growth of coral reefs. Thus, there will be more fish that live in the area because they can easily find food and easy to breed because it is protected by the coral reefs.
However, what happens if there are still unscrupulous rogue fishermen who use fish poisons or explosives to catch fish in the sea? Of course this would be very detrimental to Indonesia, because all the fish around the explosion area would die, including an adult fish and small fish, and it would break the coral reefs which was a home for the fish. As a result, there are no more small fish that will grow up to be big and ready caught by fishermen.
For example, on Friday, 19/02/2016, the security forces of the Military District Command (Kodim) 01/09 Singkil catch as much as 6 unscrupulous fishermen while fishing with fish bomb in North Mangkir Singkil Island waters, Aceh. Not only attempt to escape, the unscrupulous fishermen were even tried to attack officers by throwing fish bombs. However, they finally gave up after officers fired at the ship hull and machinery.
This condition would be an ironic because on the one hand the government incentive to capture the foreign fishing vessels were fishing illegally in Indonesia, but on the other hand there are still Indonesian fisherman who break underwater ecosystem by using fish poison and bombs when fishing in the sea. Supposedly, those blasting alien ships could be the revealer elements fishermen, so they would not spoil the sea with fish poison and bombs.
Awareness of the public, especially fishermen to use a safe ways in catching the fish is absolutely necessary. If not, then the natural wealth of Indonesia may only be a history course. And the Kolam Susu song’s from Indonesian music band, Koes Plus, which said the “ikan dan udang menghampiri dirimu” may not be eligible again to be sung in Indonesia. Therefore, let us keep Indonesia marine wealth by implementing a secure ways fishing. Save the Indonesia sea! Indonesian fishermen rescued! [IR]
*) CIDISS Contributor
