BATAM/JAKARTA, Indonesia — A recent spate of illegal fishing incursions into Indonesian waters by Vietnamese vessels has prompted calls from local fishermen and environmental activists for increased monitoring and security.

Dozens of Vietnamese fishing boats have been detected throughout 2022 in waters north of the Natuna Islands, according to reports and vessel tracking intelligence. Known as the North Natuna Sea, this body of water is within Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and borders Vietnam’s EEZ.

The Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI), a Jakarta-based think tank, reported 34 transmissions from AIS trackers belonging to Vietnamese vessels and 107 sightings of satellite images from other vessels in the country, in the North Natuna Sea between February and April 2022.

Indonesian Natunas fishermen have also complained to local authorities about multiple encounters with Vietnamese-flagged boats fishing in the area.

“These foreign vessels are disturbing the fishing grounds of Natuna fishermen; our catches are estimated to have dropped by around 50%,” Hendri, the head of the Natuna Fisher Alliance, told Mongabay Indonesia on April 26.

Hendri said some of the Vietnamese boats would operate up to 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers) from the main island of Natuna during the day. “When they’re already in our front yard, how come we don’t chase them away or act on them?” he said.

Indonesia’s fisheries ministry seized 603 foreign vessels for illegal fishing between 2015 and 2019, 234 of which were Vietnamese-flagged. Over the next two years, however, Indonesia has seized only 54 Vietnamese boats, and none so far this year – despite clear evidence of illegal, unregulated and unreported incursions and fishing practices ( IUU) by these vessels, the IOJI noted.

The IOJI attributes the increase in incursions in part to overexploitation of fish stocks in Vietnamese waters. The country’s capture fisheries production increased fivefold between 1981 and 2009, while its fleet capable of reaching the borders of its territorial waters expanded to around 130,000 fishing vessels in 2011. Vietnamese boats were also found encroaching on the waters of other neighboring countries, including Malaysia. , Thailand, the Philippines and China.

“IUUF carried out by Vietnamese-flagged vessels in official Natuna waters is a long-standing problem that has not been resolved by either the Indonesian government or the Vietnamese government,” said Imam Prakoso, a researcher at the IOJI. Mongabay.

He said some of the main reasons include the lack of maritime patrols in the region by Indonesian authorities, the relative absence of Indonesian-flagged fishing and commercial vessels and an ongoing dispute over the boundaries of each country’s EEZ. . Imam added that the north wind also helped Vietnamese ships to reach Natuna waters, which are still rich in marine resources.

These boats typically deploy single and pair trawls, which are known to be indiscriminate and destructive to coral reefs; pair trawling is prohibited by the Indonesian government. According to IOJI, Vietnamese fishermen target both commercially valuable fish, in direct competition with Natuna fishermen, and species that can be ground for fishmeal to supply the lobster aquaculture industry in the country. country. Vietnam is one of the world’s largest producers of farmed lobsters.

“This created a conflict at sea between Natuna fishermen and Vietnamese fishermen in the northern Natuna Sea,” Imam said, adding that Natuna fishermen’s boats were much smaller than those of Vietnamese fishermen.

Imam said there was a brief period when incursions and illegal fishing by Vietnamese vessels in Natuna waters was almost non-existent. This happened between 2014 and 2019, when Indonesian Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti imposed and enforced a strict ban on foreign vessels and increased patrols in Natuna waters.

According to a 2018 study, Susi’s tough and pragmatic approach to tackling IUU fishing, including blowing up seized boats, paid off, with foreign fishing activity in Indonesian waters down by more than 90 % since 2014. Fish stocks also reportedly recovered to 12.5 million tonnes in 2017 from 7.3 million tonnes in 2013.

Susi left office at the end of President Joko Widodo’s first term in 2019, and fisheries ministers have since been much more permissive of foreign vessels fishing in Indonesian waters. (Susi’s immediate successor, Edhy Prabowo, was arrested on corruption charges after just over a year in office and sentenced to five years in prison.)

“Currently, during President Joko Widodo’s second term, the intensity and synergy of patrols seem to have diminished due to various limitations, such as lack of patrol vessels and lack of budget,” Imam said.

The Fisheries Ministry said it received reports from Natuna fishermen about the presence of Vietnamese boats and has deployed patrol boats to the area. He added that the fishing vessels had left by the time the patrol boats arrived.

“Jakarta officials will only act if it goes viral [on social media]said Hendri of the fishermen’s alliance. “[The Vietnamese boats] will be gone, but they will return in no time. It’s always like that. We’re tired of having to report it.

Natuna fishers and marine observers have called on the government to strengthen surveillance and safety measures in Natuna’s waters and to involve local fishers in these efforts.

In 2020, the government put on a big show by deploying fishing vessels from the north coast of Java, some 1,200 km (750 mi) away, as an unofficial naval presence in Natuna waters. This stunt has drawn widespread criticism both of the lack of long-standing government support for local Natuna fishermen and the possibility of a new dispute if the better-equipped Java fishermen are seen to benefit at the expense of Natuna fishermen. .

The IOJI Imam also called on the Vietnamese government to do its part to prevent IUU fishing by its vessels in Indonesian waters.

“Such efforts have not been seriously presented by the Vietnamese government, and this problem has been prolonged and harmed the safety and health of the Indonesian ocean,” he said.

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Article published by Hayat

Coastal Ecosystems, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Policy, Environmental Policy, Fishing, Fishing, Governance, Illegal Fishing, Law Enforcement, Marine, Marine Conservation, Marine Ecosystems, Oceans, Overfishing, Politics, Regulations, Sustainability

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