Blowing up illegal fishing boats helps Indonesian fishers, says a new scientific study. Indonesia, one of the world’s leading producers of tuna, decided several years ago it had had enough of illegal foreign fishing boats entering its waters and taking an average of $4 billion a year in fisheries profits. This strategy, as astonishing as it may be to us in Seychelles, seems to have worked as a deterrent.
Indonesia sank 363 illegal fishing vessels to send a signal of strong enforcement. The new study, found that commercial fishing shrunk by 25% following the enforcement efforts. An earlier finding published in 2016 showed that a 15% reduction in catch could put fisheries on a trajectory toward sustainability. Applying this strategy elsewhere could generate similar long-lasting results in many other regions of the world, the researchers concluded. However, for Seychelles, this may be going too far. The Fisheries Act 2014 provides for a case to be brought to court or out of court settlement. All guilty parties are fined as per the Fisheries Act. When all the fines are paid the boat is returned. In cases where the party is found guilty but not able to pay the fine the boat is sold. https://lnkd.in/gT4cbjX
