Illegal fishing is an illicit activity that is not actually a new crime in the world of marine and fisheries. But maybe for most people this case has just been heard, in the past five years the case of illegal fishing is very intensively discussed.
What is illegal fishing?
Illegal fishing is fishing that is done in violation of a law that has been established in the waters of a country. The definition of illegal fishing usually goes hand in hand with unregulated and unreported fishing, making it difficult for local authorities to monitor exploited resources.
Under the FAO, illegal arrests have caused a total loss of up to 23 billion dollars worldwide, with 30 percent of the losses suffered by Indonesia. According to observers, illegal or unreported fishing occurs in various fishing centers in the world and can reach 30 percent of the total catch. Catches by traditional fishermen generally do not need to be reported because the numbers are relatively small. While fishing by large fishing vessels must register and report the total catch at the local port.
In Indonesia illegal fishing is very common because we know Indonesia is known as the largest Mega-Biodiversity Marine in the world. Many research results reveal that the value of marine wealth in Indonesia turns out to reach trillions of rupiah, a value that is no less great when compared with the results of oil and gas.
However, the potential of Indonesia's seas is disturbed due to the threat of illegal fishing. Illegal fishing can be interpreted as illegal fishing activities or fisheries activities that are carried out contrary to the provisions of the legislation in the field of fisheries.
According to data from the ministry of Marine affairs and fisheries, the state loss due to illegal fishing is estimated at hundreds of trillions each year. Even in the Indonesian context, illegal fishing is often a vehicle for other crimes, such as human smuggling, drug smuggling and slavery.
Illegal fishing is the world enemy
Illegal fishing (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) is very serious. IUU fishing is not only an enemy of Indonesia but a global international enemy and all countries agree that this must be eradicated.
The loss due to illegal fishing is not only the loss of hundreds of trillions that should be used for the benefit of the country but also impacts on the destruction of habitat and fisheries ecosystems. illegal fish theft crimes are mostly done by fishing methods that are not environmentally friendly and do not pay attention to the sustainability of the fisheries ecosystem.
in addition to illegal fishing theft also many are accompanied by other crimes such as smuggling, illegal drugs, illegal fuel transactions, human trafficking.
