The heightened patrols are intended to curb fishermen, mostly from Nabire, Central Papua, who use explosives in the waters off the Auri Islands, Roon Subdistrict, Teluk Wondama District, the park authority said.
Amid ongoing threats from destructive fishing practices, Head of the park’s Region IV Management Section Umar Maruapey said Thursday that limited personnel and infrastructure remain key challenges.
According to Maruapey, the park’s core zone requiring protection from destructive practices such as the use of explosives and illegal gear like trawl nets covers 1.45 million hectares.
To strengthen monitoring, local communities have been encouraged to report destructive fishing activities. The park authority also educates locals on avoiding environmentally harmful fishing methods.
In addition to the public education, the park authority is also restoring damaged coral reefs using transplantation methods, which have proven effective in accelerating recovery.
“We conduct regular transplantations. Hopefully, with stronger inter-agency cooperation, we can curb blast fishing,” Maruapey said.
According to the 2023 Reef Health Monitoring survey, coral cover in the park reached 34.63 percent, up slightly from 33.65 percent in 2018.
Teluk Cenderawasih National Park is home to over 150 coral species, 950 reef fish species, and whale sharks.
It is considered a potential UNESCO World Heritage site for its ecological value and natural beauty.
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.
In June 2025, for instance, officers from North Maluku Police's Water and Air Police Corps (Polairud), arrested six fishermen for carrying out blast fishing, or fishing using explosives, in the waters off Bisa Island in Halmahera Selatan district.
The arrests of the six fishermen in Halmahera Selatan have extended the list of blast fishing cases in Indonesia.
Related news: Indonesia outlines schemes for funding marine conservation
Translator: FS Weking, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
