"We continue to improve (resource utilization) by strengthening our facilities. However, to accelerate and optimize it, Indonesia must collaborate with international partners," the ministry's deputy for maritime resources, Firman Hidayat, said at a press conference, which was followed online from here on Tuesday.
He informed that Indonesia's seas have the potential to sustainably produce 12 million tons of fisheries per year, given that they have 8,500 marine biota and 45 percent of globally traded goods are delivered via them.
Unfortunately, he said, this potential has not been managed well because the country is still constrained by technology and funding when it comes to exploring its seas.
"We do not know yet our potential fully as we only have the map of 19 percent of our entire sea area, which accounts (for) more than 70 percent (of the territory). We do not have the updated information on what's down there," he informed.
To speed up the maximal utilization of maritime resources, the ministry is collaborating with several partners, including the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering - Chinese Academy of Science (IDSSE-CAS), and OceanX, he said.
With these partners, Indonesia is conducting joint research to explore biodiversity in its deep seas.
"Through research, we can explore our sea, which we will utilize optimally," Hidayat added.
Indonesia has enormous maritime potential, but its maritime sector's contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP) is still low at 7.92 percent. The government is targeting to increase the figure to 15 percent.
Related news: New fishing policy targets sustainability, economic growth: official
Related news: Handling climate change is key to developing aquaculture: VP Amin
Translator: Sinta A, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
