|
Being an archipelago, Indonesia has a total maritime area of 5.8 million sq km and coastline of some 81,000 km, and is rich in maritime natural resources which have not been optimally exploited. Thus this sector is still expected to be a substantial economic mover in the years to come, particularly to help accelerate economic recovery and simultaneously improve the people's welfare.
Responsible for policy, development and promotion of maritime resources and fisheries is the Ministry for Maritime Resources and Fishery.
The main aims of maritime and fisheries policies are the improvement of the welfare of Indonesian fishermen and fish farmers in particular and the whole Indonesian people in general, and that the development of maritime resources and fisheries is made in a sustainable, wise and environment-friendly manners. It means that the development is based on a sustained development conception, underpinned by development of maritime and fisheries industries having excellent human resources to produce highly competitive products.
In advancing the maritime and fisheries sector, some schemes were introduced in 2003. They include: empowerment scheme of people who are engaged in fish farming and are living at coastal areas; scheme for improving the growth rate of fishery-based businesses in the sector of maritime and fisheries; rehabilitation and conservation schemes of marine natural resources and fisheries and their ecosystems; scheme for enhancing the role of Indonesian waters as the unifying element of the Indonesian Nation and marine culture; development scheme of technology and information system of maritime and fisheries natural resources; and international cooperation development scheme.
As a maritime state Indonesia is rich in fish in term of quantity and variety. The country's maximum sustainable yield of sea fish is estimated at 6.4 million tons per annum, spreading in nine major maritime zones. The potency includes demersal and pelagic fish catch, sea cultured fishery, brackish cultivated fish, marine biotechnological fish as well as fresh-water cultured fish. Altogether their total potential economic value is estimated at US$82.06 billion.
Fresh water fish farming in Riau |
During the past three years, the maritime and fisheries sector has developed more rapidly to offer a meaningful contribution to the country's economy. In 2000 and 2001, the GDP of fisheries sub-sector grew at an average of 15.65 percent per annum. In 2001 GDP of fisheries sub-sector amounted to about Rp34.67 trillion or accounted for about 2.33 percent of the country's GDP. In 2002, the contribution of the fisheries sub-sector to the country's GDP amounted to Rp46.61 trillion or constituted about 2.39 percent of the total GDP. In 2003 it amounted to Rp.44.79 trillion or made up 3.1 percent of the country's total GDP.
During the period of 2000-2003 fish products noted a rise of about 5.21 percent per annum from 5.07 million tons in 2000 to 5.94 million tons in 2003.
Exports of fish products in 2001 amounted to 0.48 million tons, bringing in a foreign exchange earning of US$1.63 million. The export value of fish products in 2002 declined to US$1.57 million with export volume reaching 0.51 million tons, but in 2003 export value swelled to US$2 billion with export volume of 696 thousand tons.
Of the total fish production, sea fish catch still constituted a dominant proportion. Sea fish catch grew at an average of 4.58 percent per annum from 4.521 million tons in 2002 to 4.728 million tons in 2003. Contribution of cultured fish to the country's total fish production reached 19 percent in 2000, and it increased to 21 percent in 2003. That of sea fish catch, on the contrary, slightly dropped from 81 percent in 2000 to 79.5 percent in 2003. At the same time, the growth rate of cultured fish production was 7.04 percent, higher than that of sea fish catch production that grew at about 4.76 percent only. Thus it is reasonable that the development of cultured fish has been given priority in the development of fisheries.
As cultured fish production has an increasing tendency, so has the area and establishments of cultured fish. In 1999, the total area of cultured fisheries was 594,176 ha run by 80,919 fish farming establishments. The area and establishments then expanded to 730,090 ha and 315,000 fish farming establishments respectively in 2003 or growing at 5.3 percent and 43.6 percent respectively. While the growth rate of area for sea cultured fish, sea caged-fish farming, and floating net caged sea fish farming was 56.9 percent, 35.2 percent, and 28.3 percent respectively.
Domestic fish consumption in 2001 reached 4.69 million tons, and 5.30 million tons in 2003. During the period of 2001-2003, domestic fish consumption rose at an average of 6.14 percent per annum.
Attributable to the increased fish production during the last three years had been the bigger number of fishing vessels and even fishing boats being operated and modern technology applied to augment productivity. The number of fishing vessels rose by 1.83 percent per annum from 449 thousand in 2000 to 474 thousand in 2003, with composition of larger-size vessels bettering to make increasing number of employment. In 2003 there were 3.4 million fishermen and 2.2 million cultured fish farmers.
Various schemes have been introduced to empower fishermen, cultured fish farmers and communities living at coastal areas. The schemes include: scheme for improving productivity of economic activities; cultured fish intensification scheme for shrimp, kerapu, seaweed, and nila fish; rural fish farming development scheme; development scheme for small-scale sea fish catch undertakings; and promotion for collective fish farm undertakings.
The scheme for improving productive activities of coastal communities has been implemented up to 2004 in 527 districts throughout the country.
ILLEGAL FISHING
The scheme for improving productive activities of coastal communities has been implemented up to 2004 in 527 districts throughout the country.
In minimizing illegal fishing by foreign fishing vessels, the Government has imposed a decision that allows no more than 900 foreign fishing vessels to operate in the 200-mile EEZ limits. Before the decision took effect, there were estimated 7,000 foreign vessels fishing illegally.
Also in overcoming such illegal fishing, the Indonesian Government has taken some anticipative measures, among other things, encouraging local fishermen to improve their fleet and fishing equipments, improving licensing system for fishing businesses, reinforcing law enforcement and the imposition of fish catch control, promoting coordination among related government agencies such as among the Ministry for Maritime and Fishery and the Police, the Navy etc. In this context, the Government has maintained and improved cooperation with the governments of the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, and Thailand. During the period of 2000-2003 law enforcers had handled and settled 186 criminal cases in the field of maritime and fisheries.
SEA SAND EXPLOITATION
In dealing with the control and surveillance of sea sand exploitation the Government has issued Presidential Decision No. 33 of 2002 on Control and Surveillance of Sea Sand that governs the mechanism of control and exploitation of sea sand, and the formation of an ad hoc institution, the Team for Controlling the Exploitation of Sea Sand. The Team is tasked to mainly manage and run the mechanism. So far the Team has issued regulation on quota and zoning areas for the exploitation of sea sand. Meanwhile, the regulation on exports of sea sand is governed by Decision of the Minister of Industry and Trade No. 598 of 2003. With the imposition of the sea sand exploitation zoning areas, some 50 percent of sea sand exploitation areas are closed.
MARINE AND COASTAL AREAS ECOSYSTEM
In pursuing an improved quality of the ecosystem of seas and coastal areas, endeavors have been made to manage integrally the resources of seas and coastal areas. The main aims of these endeavors are to improve and preserve sustainable exploitation of natural resources for the interest of environmental and socio-economic development in helping governmental decentralization. Activities of these endeavors include: the arrangement of seas, coastal areas and islets management, of which eight arrangements have been enacted to be Regional Ordinances, while others are being processed; rehabilitation of coral reefs in six provinces covering 12 districts; designation of local seas conservation in four locations; and the national campaign for cleaning the seas and coastal areas from organic litters.
Regarding the management of islets which are many in number, the Government has identified their basic data. It has also built some facilities and infrastructure such as communication devices, solar-system electric power installations, and the construction of mini ice plants in several islets. Rehabilitation of mangrove forests, along with planting of coral reefs, and construction of coastal protective structures has also been done to maintain the ecosystem in a number of islets.
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
Regarding the management of islets which are many in number, the Government has identified their basic data. It has also built some facilities and infrastructure such as communication devices, solar-system electric power installations, and the construction of mini ice plants in several islets. Rehabilitation of mangrove forests, along with planting of coral reefs, and construction of coastal protective structures has also been done to maintain the ecosystem in a number of islets.
In short-term, the campaign aims to build infrastructures for both sea fish catch landings and cultured fish farming. The years 2004 and 2005 would be the phase of preparatory to reinforce the ground of the scheme as the continuity and improvement of the on-going development. Kinds of fish to be cultured and developed are fish having high economic values, profitable and much in demand by both domestic and international market. Infrastructures and facilities to be constructed include industries to process cultured shrimp, seaweed, mollusk, and patin fish as well as sea fish catch. Necessary infrastructures and facilities are to be made available in some 89 islets along the country's borderlines, and other islets and islands to control pollution on seas. The same things are to be developed to promote marine tourist potential at coastal areas and islets, to develop small-scale fish catch undertakings in all provinces, and to safeguard resources of illegal fishing, which has an estimated economic value of about US$2-US$4 billion per annum.
RESEARCH CENTER
In 2003 Indonesia initiated the establishment of an ocean research center named the Southeast Asia Center for Ocean Research and Monitoring, which is located at Perancak, Bali Island. The construction of the center received financial assistance from several countries including the US, Germany, France, the UK, and Australia. Indonesia has been selected as the site of the center due to chiefly to the fact that Indonesia has seas with highest bio-variety in the world.
The main aims of this center establishment are : to improve marine monitoring and research in Indonesia and Southeast Asia region; and to run meteorological monitoring system for monitoring local or sub-regional weather conditions.
The center provides information on various matters, such as fishery, cultured fishery, satellite monitoring on weather and seasons, transport, marine tourism, sea pollution, and marine technological innovations. It also serves information on marine resources management, maintenance of coastal and marine environments, mining at the deep-seas and coastal areas, and environment-friendly energy.
Joining the center are noted international institutions such as the National Science Foundation and NOAA of the US, the CSIRO and AIMS of Australia, CLS-Argos and Spot Image of France, JIFIC, JICA, Chiba University, Restec Mitshubishi Corp of Japan, Canadian Space Agency, Radarsat International of Canada, BMBF of Germany, Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute of South Korea.
|
