Source: Business World

Indonesia will enforce starting Dec. 1 stricter fishing regulations that could adversely affect the Philippines¡¯ tuna industry, reports last month of the Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the National Defense departments (DND) obtained on Monday said.

The DFA report quoted Assistant Secretary Meynardo LB. Montealegre as citing the need to inform the local fishing community of Jakarta¡¯s new fishing measures in order to give it time to prepare for their impact.

In the DND document, Raymund Jose G. Quilop, assistant secretary for strategic assessment, wrote: ¡°Please direct the Commander, Eastern Mindanao Command, to inform fishing communities and companies about the newly enacted fishing regulations of the Republic of Indonesia.¡±

He also noted that Indonesia¡¯s new rules ¡°will be relevant in the conduct of¡­border patrol.¡±

Among others, the new Indonesian fishing regulations signed last June 1 provide that:

• Foreign companies that wish to set up fishing operations in Indonesia must have both fishing and processing operations in that country;

• Export of fresh fish from Indonesia is not allowed -- fish must first be processed in Indonesia before being exported;

• Issuance of permits for boats has been decentralized according to weight class: 0-10 gross tons (GT) by the regency or city hosting the foreign fishing operations; 10-60 GT by the host province; and above 60 GT by the Ministry of Fisheries; and

• Neither foreign investment nor foreign workers is allowed for boats weighing 60 GT or below.

Moreover, declining foreign manpower limits apply in the five-year term of permits for vessels weighing more than 60 GT: 50% of total manpower in the first year, 40% in the second year, 30% in the third year, 20% in the fourth year and 10% in the fifth year.

By the sixth year of operations, all workers should be Indonesian.

Also, foreign investors should transfer technology to the Indonesian workers of these operations.

Sought for comment, Rosanna Contreras, executive director of the Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc., said only that her group will be briefed on the new Indonesian regulations this Friday.