Until March, the Government of INDONESIA Hold 5 Million Tons of FISH Imports

The Indonesia government has hold as many as 5,134,000 tons of illegal fish import which comes from 190 containers until March 18, 2011, so it can not enter the Indonesian market.

"The type of fish that enter illegally are generally mackerel species of fish and all fish will be returned to their home countries," said Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Fadel Muhammad in a press release submitted by Head of Data Statistics and Information Yulistyo Mudho.

According to Fadel, the policy is carried out in an effort to implement the Ministerial No.17/2010 on Quality Control and Safety of Fishery Products imported into the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. He said fish imported illegally detained were mostly from China, namely as many as 126 containers.

"Imports of fish should not be carelessly into the country, and the Government only allows the import of fish that enter only the special fish like salmon, Kamachi, Kampachi foreigners who eat raw materials sector as a restaurant," he said.

However, he said again, to press the case of illegal fish imports, it had asked the whole range of government oversight, such as Quarantine and Customs to prevent similar cases in order not happen again.

Because the provisions of an import permit fishery is intended to control the import of fish, as long as there were indications many frozen fish imported for the purpose of trafficking and consumption and damage in the domestic market.

Meanwhile, 5.134 million tones of fish are seized illegally from Belawan on hold of 72 containers (1,944,000 tons) of fish, 81 containers (2,176,000 tons) of fish in Tanjung Priok in Jakarta and 37 containers (1,006,000 tons) of fish in Tanjung Perak, Surabaya. Meanwhile in Soekarno Hatta Airport as much as 7.687 tones.

picture: google.com

The EU's fisheries policy gets battered

If there ever was a competition for the worst EU policy, the Common Fisheries Policy would probably end up on top. The policy simply has to go.

So it's encouraging that the EU’s Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki yesterday did the right thing and called for an end to the CFP-mandated practice of throwing back dead fish overboard if fishermen's quotas have been exceeded:

"I consider discarding of fish unethical, a waste of natural resources and a waste of fishermen's effort. But I would like to go further – since our stocks are declining, these figures are not justifiable anymore. If we continue with our policy, then we will soon face a situation where the production capacity of marine ecosystems is at risk”.

This is of course hardly a revelation; groups from across society and the political spectrum have been warning about the economic, social and environmental catastrophe that is the CFP for a long time.

To give only a couple of examples of what Europe's fishing industry has come to under the CFP :

· 80% of Europe’s fisheries are considered to be overexploited or in danger of collapse

· 1.3 million tonnes of seafood are thrown back every year in the North Atlantic alone, including two out of every three haddock caught to the west of Scotland

· The value of fish that thrown back every year by the Scottish fishing fleet alone was estimated at £40m, resulting in higher prices for consumers.

Momentum against the CFP is building, and the recent “Fish Fight” campaign fronted by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has brought the issue to a much wider audience, helping to put pressure on the EU for reform. While Damanaki’s pledge is good news, this time it must be followed by concrete action. After all one her predecessors, Joe Borg, called the discards policy “morally wrong” and pledged root-and-branch reform back in 2007, but to no avail.

The common sense void in which the CFP exists is a big reason why hostility to the EU is growing, exemplifying Brussels’ painful inability to reform its policies as the circumstances around it changes (on this one, it's not the Commission's fault as a handful member states, most importantly Spain, continue to block reform). It is so detested that it even managed to unite such diverse groups as climate change sceptic Conservative MPs and Greenpeace activists.

Although dumping the discards policy will not solve all Europe’s fishing problems, it's certainly the right place to start.