Regulatory Revisions for Fishing Operations in Natuna

The government will revise Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministerial Regulation No. 14/2011, regulating the fishing vessel and live fish carrier capacity. It limits the maximum size of a fishing vessel to 150 gross tonnages (GT), while a live fish carrier has to have a 200 GT, at most. Presidential Office undersecretary V for politics, legal affairs, security, and human rights, Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, on Monday (1/13), argued that the regulation limited fishermen’s range of movement when operating in Natuna.

Jaleswari revealed that the government, in the end, assessed that Natuna waters were capable of handling fishing vessels with more than 150 GT. The regulation, therefore, prevented more domestic ships from operating in the region. As a result, Chinese and many other foreign fishing vessels with huge capacities could capitalize on the waters north of Kalimantan Island even though such a practice violates Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.