WWF welcomes Indonesian moratorium on new trawl and purse seine fisheries licenses but says an immediate reduction in fishing efforts is needed in order to protect the Coral Triangle.
Trawling and purse seine fisheries have become a problematic issue in Indonesia, strongly contributing to the overfishing of mostly fully exploited juvenile tunas, and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing in the area (IUU).
“This moratorium on new fishing licenses for trawlers and purse seiners will certainly stop the bleeding but not the wound, so to speak. A reduction in current fishing capacity is key to addressing problems of overfishing and bycatch of juvenile tunas in the Coral Triangle” says Dr Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Head.
Tuna is an important fishing resource in Coral Triangle as it supports the economies of many developing nations and represents the livelihoods of millions of people in this region and beyond.
The region contains spawning and nursery grounds and migratory routes for commercially-valuable tuna species such as bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack and albacore, producing more than 40% of the total catch for the Western Central Pacific region, and representing more than 20% of the global catch.
As of 2007, more than 10,000 trawlers and 22,000 purse seiners have been found in Indonesian waters.
“We would also like to seek further clarification on the criteria being used to determine stock recovery and how this is will be evaluated. WWF is willing to participate and contribute to this process,” said Dr Pet-Soede.
