Yohanis Fransiskus Lema, Member of Commission IV—overseeing matters relating to maritime affairs and fisheries, among others—of the House of Representatives urged the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) to be transparent, fair, and to consider marine habitat preservation before giving permits for the use of trawl net. 

Permit for the use of trawl net is granted in the Ministerial Instruction of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister No. B.717/MEN-KP/11/2019 on A Study on Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Regulation. Lema said that KKP needed to ensure equal opportunity and treatment for all fishing sector industries, bring prosperity to small-scale fishermen, and prioritize marine ecosystem conservation, before granting the use of trawl net.  

“A study by a public institution on regulations regarding permits for the use of trawl net suggested potential practices of unfair treatments, which would only benefit certain industries, but threaten small-scale fishermen’s interests and marine ecosystem conservation. There should be no monopoly of fishing permits to avoid discrimination and prevent maritime ecosystem exploitation. Otherwise, the permit should be reviewed,” he told Parlementaria in a written statement on Friday (19/6/2020).  

He went on to say that the KKP’s regulation should be enacted fairly and equally to prevent monopoly that only benefits big fishing companies that use trawl net in their operations. Therefore, the permit should be given in an open and transparent way, and not behind closed doors.  

"The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry should design a transparent and fair licensing system that allows public information of company feasibility, and whether they have fully met the stipulated requirements. The government must involve public participation to ensure there are no monopoly and/or exploitation of the marine ecosystem," Lema asserted. 

He understands that trawl net use permits are given to drive the economy and business activities in the maritime and fisheries sector. However, the government should ensure that regulations are consistent with the foundations of their formulation, which are to protect small-scale fishermen, preserve marine ecosystems, and contribute to state revenues. 

KKP recently revised the fish catch regulation to allow trawl net-equipped fishing vessels measuring 200 gross tons (GT) and above to resume operations with a business scale percentage of 22 percent. The permits given to large vessels will create potential conflicts with traditional fishermen and small scale fishermen with vessels under 10 GT in size. 

Lema added that the trawl net permit policy needs to consider the aspect of justice for small-scale fishermen, as protected by Law Number 7 of 2016 concerning Protection of Small-scale Fishermen. If trawl nets are used on the high seas, naturally fish will not move towards the coast and bay as the common fishing ground for small-scale fishermen. 

Lema also reminded the ministry to tighten supervision because allowing trawlers to operate might lead to illegal fishing practices and massive exploitation of marine and fisheries resources in Indonesia. The impact of this policy is inevitable; the traditional and small scale fishermen will lose their fishing ground. They would be forced to lose in a competition against big players. 

“The use of trawl net will potentially lead to overfishing as it is designed to sweep clean everything from the seabed, including small marine animals. It puts coral reefs, a natural home in which many kinds of fish reproduce, in danger as they would become prone to destruction, and in the long run, It will damage the marine ecosystem,” the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) politician argued. 

Furthermore, the ministry is expected to intensify its control and supervision system against trawler’s operation to maintain fisheries production at a good level, while preserving the marine ecosystem. KKP must supervise the use of trawl net so as not to reach the seabed. Thus, specific provisions must be stipulated to regulate its use in great detail, including a depth limit on trawling. Therefore, the practice would not do any harm to coral reefs and fish reproduction. 

“For the sake of justice and to avoid overexploitation, the ministerial regulation must firmly regulate/divide/limit fishing zones to ensure fair fishing opportunities for traditional fishermen with small capacity fishing boats and traditional nets. Trawlers should not be allowed to share fishing grounds with small scale fishermen. If that happened, then this policy would be nothing but a structured impoverishment of traditional and small scale fishermen,” said the legislator who represents East Nusa Tenggara constituency. (ann/sf)