"We have been outnumbered by foreign boats which have poached our fish in Binan waters freely, up to Anambas and Natuna," Nurdin Andika, a fisherman from Bintan Pesisir, said here Thursday.
Some of the foreign boats operating in Bintan waters, Anambas and Natuna, have Riau Island logo, but it was run by Thai or Vietnam nationals.
"Sometimes, one or two of their crew members are Indonesians, but it`s on purpose to deal with local fishermen," he said.
He regretted that the local authorities did not address the problem seriously.
"We even suspect that there are some officers who have asked for money from the foreign fishermen and let them go" he said.
Due to the rampant of poaching in Bintan waters by foreign fishermen, most of the local fishermen did not believe in water patrols any longer.
"The more patrols, the more foreign boats poach there, so nothing left for us, local fishermen," he said.
Lis Dharmansyah, deputy chairman of the Riau Island Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) said he would coordinate with concerned institutions to deal with the poaching problem.
"We will make coordination, and call related parties to stop poaching in Riau Island waters," Lis said.
Batam Maritime Security Task Force Commodore Desi Albert asked fishermen to report if they spot any foreign fisherman or naval officers violating the law.
"Please report to us, because we won`t tolerate poaching by foreigners in Indonesian waters, especially it disadvantages local fishermen," Desi said. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
