MERAUKE – The South Papua Provincial Agriculture, Food, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Agency (DP2KP) has reminded boat owners and fishermen to pay close attention to maritime boundaries while conducting fishing activities, particularly in waters bordering Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Head of the South Papua DP2KP, Paino, said his agency, together with relevant authorities, continues to conduct outreach programs to fishermen to prevent them from entering PNG waters while fishing.
According to Paino, the appeal is important because several fishing vessels and their crews have reportedly been detained by PNG authorities for allegedly conducting fishing activities within PNG waters.
“Outreach has been conducted frequently, including urging fishing vessels to be equipped with navigation equipment, as this can help determine whether their vessels have entered PNG waters,” Paino said.
He explained that navigation equipment is important for helping boat captains monitor their position while at sea. This is expected to prevent vessels from unintentionally crossing into another country’s territorial waters.
Paino said that despite repeated outreach efforts, fishing vessels with capacities of up to 30 gross tons (GT) have still reportedly been detained by PNG authorities.
Therefore, the South Papua DP2KP has again urged boat owners and captains to ensure that navigation equipment is available and functioning properly and to understand the maritime boundaries before conducting fishing activities.
“We hope boat owners and captains will not conduct fishing activities in PNG waters so that no more Indonesian fishing vessels are detained by PNG authorities,” he said.
The local government hopes that greater awareness among fishermen regarding maritime boundaries will help prevent cross-border violations while ensuring greater safety for fishermen carrying out their activities at sea.
