Jakarta (ANTARA) - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono organized a free fish distribution event for the general public, orphanage foundations, and his ministry’s employees in Jakarta on Friday as a year-end holiday gesture.

He said that the event was a form of his ministry’s concern for the nutritional improvement of the community.

The event also aimed to heighten people’s interest in consuming fish, he added.

Trenggono noted that 8.8 tons of fish, which was sourced locally, was distributed for free at the event.

He expressed the hope that, through the event, people’s awareness regarding consuming fish routinely would increase.

He emphasized that fish is a protein source that is good for health, especially for pregnant women and children.

“At least the nutrition of prospective pregnant women or prospective mothers can increase so that their babies will not be stunted,” he added.

The minister informed that as per data from his ministry, national fish consumption has reached around 13 million tons per year, with 99 percent of fish needs met through the country’s own production.

He said that to increase fish consumption, his ministry is continuing to make several efforts, one of which has been the eating fish campaign (Gemarikan), which has been carried out regularly across Indonesia.

He also informed that his ministry is targeting to collect ocean's big data. The data will later be used to determine the status of fisheries in Indonesia more accurately.

"The projection for next year is we will start to build the ocean big data so that we would be able to know exactly the status of our fisheries," he said.



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Translator: Arif Prada, Raka Adji
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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