The capture of the Russian-flagged fishing vessel Run Zeng 03 in May 2024 was only the tip of the iceberg of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF) in Indonesia. Based on the IUU Fishing risk index released by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (Gitoc) in December 2023, Indonesia was the sixth worst country – out of 152 – in dealing with this practice. Jaring.id and Tempo asked Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s Director General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Supervision (PSDKP), Pung Nugroho Saksono about this in an interview on Thursday, September 26, 2024. We also sought confirmation from Pung about being named in the trial of the captain of the Run Zeng 03 vessel.
The documents we obtained state that the Run Zeng 05 and Run Zeng 03 vessels were detained at Tanjung Priok Port in May 2023. Why were the two vessels able to sail again in Indonesian waters?
When they docked at Tanjung Priok, the vessels [were not being detained, but rather] obtaining the relevant permits. That’s according to information we dug up from [interviews with vessels’ crew members] in the investigation report. We don’t know how, but the vessels then went on to [illegally] fish in Indonesian waters. It went viral because it was videoed by fishermen. They informed Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the President, and the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment about the video, which led to [PSDKP] being ordered to take action to detain the vessels.
In 2023, we never touched [the vessels]. We have information that [the vessels were only at Tanjung Priok] because they were awaiting permits. The commotion about [the vessels] catching [fish illegally] happened in 2024. In 2023, we never touched the vessels.
The two vessels have also been detained in Ambon, but again were allowed to continue sailing. Why did that happen?
Oh no, [the vessels were not detained in Ambon]. In Ambon at that time [the vessels] were also in the process of getting permits and it hadn’t been completed yet. So it wasn’t detained, maybe they wanted to take care of the permit, wanted to do a physical check and all sorts of things. But it wasn’t finished and then they left.
Your name came up during the trial of the captain of the Run Zeng 03 vessel that we obtained. A witness named Gunawan Winarso said that you allowed Run Zeng 03 to operate. What do you think?
It’s okay [that my name was mentioned during the trial]. When we take action in the field, sometimes we blend in with the bad guys. It’s the same as when people want to entrap or make arrests in drug cases. People buy drugs to uncover [the cases]. There was no deal-making there either. Gunawan introduced himself. I reminded him that [operating the vessel] had to go through official channels. That he had to take care of the permit so that [the vessel] could legally operate in Indonesia. So [that was what I said] when we met. I didn’t make any deals.
Did you ever meet Gunawan regarding the permits he was seeking?
No. He only introduced himself. He wanted to operate a foreign vessel. I advised him to take care of the permit so that the vessel would be official, but Gunawan didn’t take care of it and instead continued to operate. Finally, the Minister ordered us to take action. The trigger was a letter from a Pantura fishermen group expressing concern [about] foreign vessel activities.
The practice of transshipment and illegal fishing has started to become rampant again. Why is this happening?
[We have caught] four Philippine vessels and we are continually detaining [illegal vessels]. We have not stopped.
It’s like you’re asking, why is there still theft? Well, it’s because there is a need for food. Since [the time of] my grandfather, there have been thieves, there have been robbers. [Even when] drug cases [are enforced] with [an order to] shoot to kill, [drug cases still] exist. So it is natural that [illegal fishing] still exists today. That pattern is carried out by perpetrators in the field.
Satellite imagery and vessel detection captured the movement of the Fu Yuan Yu F77 owned by PT Sinar Buana Surya, a subsidiary of Artha Graha in the past. What is your response?
That does not exist. We have checked that. That was an Indonesian vessel that installed an AIS [automatic identification system] bought in China. We once pursued an Indonesian vessel, a wooden vessel from Tegal [with] an AIS bought in China. Not [made of] iron. There was no transshipment. If there was (transshipment), we would definitely take action.
This article is part of a series investigating crimes in the fisheries industry in Eastern Indonesia, a collaboration between Jaring.id and Tempo, supported by the Pulitzer Center. You can read other articles in this series below:
