Jakarta (ANTARA) - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated that the quota-based measured fishing policy is aimed at enhancing exports as well as maintaining the sustainability of the marine ecosystem.

The minister made the statement at the Seminar on the Strategy for Protecting the Java Island Area Through the Construction of the Giant Sea Wall in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Trenggono noted that the absence of fishing quota regulation had made other countries reluctant to import fish from Indonesia.

To this end, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries issued Government Regulation Number 11 of 2023, which, in general, regulates several aspects, such as the fishing areas, the quota of fish captured, and the number of vessels that can carry out fishing.

The step was taken to maintain the sustainability of fish resources and provide welfare for fishers, offer employment expansion and employment opportunities, increase the added value and competitiveness of fishery products, ensure business certainty, and contribute to the business world as well as to the country.

"We have managed it. Fish can no longer be caught indiscriminately, so that our fish commodities can become champions," he underscored.

Related news: Indonesia promotes quota-based tuna fishing

Furthermore, Trenggono affirmed that the potential for marine resources globally is so vast that a strategy is needed to make Indonesia as one of the leading players.

The minister stated that the global seafood market reached US$730 billion per year. Meanwhile, in 2022, it had reached US$338 billion.

Hence, to this end, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is encouraging the utilization of resources that are not only land-based but also ocean-based, considering the large economic potential.

As a maritime country, Indonesia's fisheries production was recorded at 2.3 million tons, with a fisheries production value reaching Rp45 trillion (around US$2.88 billion).

"Many of the natural resources that we exploit are still land-based, while for ocean-based, we have not done it well. We will increase farming for exports going forward," the minister stated.

Related news: Fishing quota policy aims to prevent IUU fishing: Minister

Translator: Adimas Raditya, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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