The owners of ships engaged in illegal fishing in Indonesia could finally face criminal justice under proposed amendments to the country’s fisheries law, as the government seeks to foster a sustainable industry in one of the world’s richest fisheries. The bill of amendments submitted to parliament by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries incorporates points from existing ministerial and presidential decrees issued after the passage of the 2009 Fisheries Act. These include bans on, among other things, foreign fishing vessels and crews; the transshipment of fish catches between vessels at sea; and foreign investment in the capture fisheries sector. The bill also calls for criminal sanctions for corporate and beneficiary owners of vessels engaged in illegal fishing, including jail sentences and fines that also extend, to a lesser degree, to boat crews. The fisheries ministry is also proposing new protections on the “rights of oceans,” and recognition of the role coastal communities play in marine conservation.

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