The fishermen were identified as MM, LOH, ALS, SLH, LAAB, and S, North Maluku Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Bambang Suharyono said here on Monday.
The police officers also seized a longboat, a compressor, diving gear, explosive materials, and 50 kilograms of fish from the fishermen, he informed.
The fishermen and all items of evidence were taken to the police station in Halmahera Selatan for investigation, Suharyono said.
The six fishermen have been charged with violating Article 84 (1) of Law No. 45 of 2009 on Fisheries juncto Article 55 of the Criminal Code (KUHP), he informed.
As an archipelagic country, Indonesia is blessed with vast and deep coral reefs. However, they are facing increased threats.
A study entitled the Economic Analysis of Indonesian Coral Reefs by Herman Cesar in 1996 revealed that the threats mostly come from human activities, such as blast fishing, poison fishing, and overfishing, as well as tourism development activities.
The arrests of the six fishermen in Halmahera Selatan have extended the list of blast fishing cases in Indonesia.
On April 11, 2021, for instance, five local fishermen were caught by the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s law enforcement personnel for carrying out blast fishing in the waters of the Komodo National Park’s conservation area.
Thereafter, on January 23, 2024, the East Nusa Tenggara police detained three fishermen for blast fishing in the Tanjung Oepao waters of Rote Ndao district, East Nusa Tenggara province.
Related news: Indonesia to deport 26 crew members of two Filipino fishing vessels
Related news: Indonesia seizes two Vietnamese-flagged poaching vessels in Natuna
Translator: Abdul F., Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Arie Novarina
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
