"Handling of illegal fishing is our main priority," the ministry`s secretary general Gellwynn Jusuf said at a function to close KKP national coordination meeting here on Friday.
He said tight supervision would continue to be made at various locations which were prone to illegal fishing and other activities that damaged marine and fishery resources in the country.
According to Gellwynn, the waters of Maluku and Papua provinces as well as South China Sea were prone to illegal fishing.
Meanwhile, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry`s Director General for Control of Marine Resources and Fisheries (PSDKP KKP) Syahrin Abdurahman said the target of 34 percent was an increase from 28 percent in 2010.
"Our target is that in 2014 we will have 85 percent of Indonesian waters free from illegal fishing and other marine resources damaging activities," Syahrin said.
He asserted that in an effort to reach the target, monitoring and information gathering should be stepped up while nabbing any fishing boat engaged in illegal fishing.
A number of fishing boats which were nabbed in the provinces of Maluku and Gorontalo had been bestowed by the local government to the local fishermen group.
To effectively monitor the Indonesian waters, Syahrin said the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry at present has among others 24
fisheries supervision boats, 54 speed boats, and 30 PSDKP posts.
Another target to be reached this year is to increase the fish production by 12.26 million tons, to step up export value of fish product to US3.2 billion, and to increase the fish processing to 940 units across the country.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
