Locals only. Image: NPR/Januar/AFP/Getty Images
Indonesia is pretty sick of poachers fishing in their waters. So sick of it that they’re blowing their boats up in a sort of horse-head-in-the-bed warning.
A few days ago, Susi Pudjiastuti, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister, live-streamed the order to detonate 23 fishing boats that officials took from poachers. The show was apparently a message to any other nations trying to lay claim to fishing rights in the South China Sea. Thirteen of the boats belonged to Vietnamese fisherman, while ten more were Malaysian.
“The sinking of the boats is to enforce the law and to protect the sovereignty of our territory to ensure that the sea is the future of our nation,” Susi said to Kompas.com. Back in 2014, Indonesia passed a law that made it legal to seize and destroy any foreign vessels that trespassed into their waters. Because poachers are assholes, though, they still give it a shot, regardless of the fact that their boat might get blown to bits. According to reports, two of the boats seized were flying Indonesian flags, although they weren’t Indonesian.
The boats were blown up simultaneously in different seven locations, and were seized after locals called foul on the poachers. “We got information from local people about the operation of dozens of foreign boats that came from Subi Isle heading to Sempadi Isle,” explained West Kalimantan Police Chief Arief Sulistyanto. “We followed up on the information.” As a result of that information, the illegal fishing vessels were seized in February.
According to estimates, illegal fishing is taking a lot of money from Indonesia– up to $20 bn a year. This isn’t a new thing, either. Since she started as Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister, Pudjiastuti has blown up nearly 200 vessels.
The very public displays of power seem to be working. Estimates from The Financial Times state that just last year, the fishing industry grew almost 10 percent. “In the fishing industry the more you regulate, the more productive your ocean will be,” Pudjiastuti told FT. “Reforming the fishing industry is not an easy task.”
Although it seems that blowing up a perfectly good fishing boat might not be the best use of them, it certainly does send a message: locals only.
