Government Firmly Stands on Cantrang Ban

Jakarta (Greeners) – Amid recent protests, Minister of Marine and Fisheries Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti on Thursday stood her ground and will not revoke the Cantrang ban regulation.

“[I] will not revoke ministerial regulation [on cantrang). We want to increase Indonesia’s sea products productivity, that’s the most important thing. With current situation, there will be no more cantrang boats. All cantrang boats must be measured correctly,” said Minister Susi in Jakarta, on the 2015 Ministerial Regulation on Trawl and Seine Nets Ban.

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Nevertheless, Susi said that the government will impose transitional phase to give time for the boats to adjust with the regulation. There will be no deadline and assistance will be given to operate on new catching instruments.

Director General of Capture Fisheries Sjarief Widjaja, said the shift from cantrang was to provide better catches to traditional fishermen. Furthermore, Widjaja said that teams will be dispatched to deal with technicalities.

“We are trying to smooth this out. We will wait for them [fishermen] to shift their fishing tools and we will guide them individually, one by one, until all are settled,” he said.

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Cantrang is categorized boat seines, similar to dogol, payang, and lampara dasar. Based on kkp.go.id, cantrang an active fishing tools which could swept through bottom of the ocean.

By using cantrang, 46-51 percent of the catches are for consume and 49-54 percent of the by-catches is dominated by glass fish which can only be used as flour ingredient and animal feed.

Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Issues will provide assistance during the transition phase in three categories. For boats under 10 GT, they will be given other fishing tools, including gill net, handline, bottom long line, dript long line, trolling line, pole and line, trap fishing and trammel net. For boats between 10-31 GT, the ministry will provide license facilities and relocation to Fishing Areas to Fisheries Areas of 711 and 718.

Report by Dewi Purningsih