Speaking in Batam City, Riau Islands, on Saturday, KKP's Director General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision, Pung Nugroho Saksono, stated that his team acted after receiving reports from locals about foreign fishing boats sighted in Indonesian waters.
"This law enforcement action proves the state’s presence in safeguarding our waters from fish poachers and demonstrates our ability to respond quickly to public reports," he remarked.
Saksono highlighted that the maritime operation he led resulted in the arrest of 19 crew members from the two vessels, which were intercepted by KKP's KP Orca 02 and KP Orca 03 ships.
He revealed that one of the boats tried to evade capture, but KP Orca 03 successfully pursued and detained it in Batam.
"Using our KP Orca 03 and KP Orca 02 ships, we intercepted and impounded two boats bearing hull numbers KG 6219TS and KG 6277TS, with gross tonnages of 120 and 97 respectively," he noted.
The KKP official emphasized that the poaching vessels had transferred part of their catch to larger ships in a border zone. However, authorities still found 70 kilograms of fish on board.
In addition to poaching, the two fishing boats used pair trawling, a method declared illegal in Indonesia due to its destructive impact on the marine ecosystem, particularly coral reefs.
Saksono further reported that the poachers were detained at KKP's base in Batam and are awaiting legal proceedings.
A similar incident took place on April 18, 2025, when the KKP intercepted and seized two boats bearing the Vietnamese flag for illegal fishing in the same waters.
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Translator: Laily R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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