JAKARTA, June 21 — As many as 83 fishermen went missing in Indonesian seas for six months from December 2020 to June 2021, recorded Indonesia’s Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW).
DFW Indonesia Coordinator, Moh Abdi Suhufan said that the disappearance of fishermen was triggered by 42 accidents, the majority of which occurred in fishing boats with sizes below 10 GT (Gross Tonnage).
Those incidents claimed 14 deaths while 42 were rescued. On average, there were seven accidents in one month, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Abdi asked the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and the Ministry of Transportation to improve the strategy of protecting fishermen on small boats. The fisherman insurance programme run by the government should be easily accessible to fishermen in remote areas, he added.
The official pointed out that the number of incidents of ship accidents indicates the high level of vulnerability of Indonesian fishermen, who work without personal protection, lack safety facilities, and do not have insurance.
DFW Indonesia researcher, Subhan Usman, urged the KKP to increase its attention and intervention to small and traditional fishing groups.
The fishing industry is currently dominated by small-scale fishing vessels as 99.16 per cent of Indonesia’s current fleet are below 30 GT.
Sources: BERNAMA