ILLEGAL FISHING IS A NATIONAL DISASTER: MINISTER

Jakarta, Feb 5 (Antara) - Illegal fishing is a national disaster that must be addressed through synergy between countries, according to Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. "In particular, I refer to illegal fishing as a national disaster because it has caused thousands of problems and big losses," Susi noted in a written statement here on Wednesday. She stated that the problem of illegal fishing was not solely rampant in Indonesia, but the fight against these unlawful activities was also being carried out by other countries such as the United States and Somalia. The minister affirmed that the fight against illegal fishing in Indonesia has gained support from the European Union, the ambassadors of friendly countries, the navy, and the police. Former Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Rokhmin Dahuri of the Megawati Soekarnoputri government remarked that the eradication of illegal fishing in Indonesian waters should be accompanied by the empowerment and modernization of domestic fishermen. "Eradication of illegal fishing should be carried out with security and economic approaches," Rokhmin said during a National Oration and Marine Dialog at the "Gedung Joeang 45" here last Tuesday. According to him, the fight against illegal fishing can also be strengthened by empowering the domestic fishermen and enabling them to replace foreign parties that committed illegal activities in Indonesian waters. Rokhmin pointed out that the empowerment of domestic fishermen can be achieved by modernizing their fishing boats with up-to-date fishing gear, among several other things. "Our fishermen should be provided with high-tech vessels having the size of over 50 gross tonnage (GT) and a working capital, so that they can catch fish that are currently being illegally poached by foreign parties," he noted.