Indonesia, Australia team up to prevent cross-border fishing violation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries established a collaboration with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to strengthen legal awareness among fishermen in Merauke, South Papua, to prevent transboundary fishing violations.

The ministry's Director General of Capture Fisheries, Lotharia Latif, said the Merauke region, which borders Australia, requires special attention to ensure that fishermen understand fishing area boundaries and the legal risks of entering another country's waters without permission.sd

"We want to ensure that fishermen understand fishing area boundaries, are aware of the legal risks of violating them, and at the same time encourage legal, safe, and responsible fishing practices," Latif remarked in a statement on Wednesday (July 1).

The outreach took place on June 25-27, 2026, held on Kumbe Village, Lampu Satu, and the Red and White Fishermen's Village (KNMP) in Samkai, Merauke, it involved fishermen, students, local government officials, law enforcement officials, community leaders, and coastal communities.

Latif said that strengthening legal literacy is an integral part of the capture fisheries modernization program, which focuses not only on increasing productivity and developing the fishing fleet but also on enhancing fishers' understanding of regulations, compliance with fishing area boundaries, and the implementation of responsible fishing practices.

During the activity, participants received education on the maritime boundaries between Indonesia and Australia, the legal and safety risks associated with transboundary fishing, protection for Indonesian citizens facing legal proceedings abroad, and efforts to eradicate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.

This initiative comes amid the persistently high number of fishing violations by Indonesian fishing vessels in the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ), the Australian waters which extends from three to 200 nautical miles from the country's coastline.

According to the study "The Behavioral Drivers of Illegal Indonesian Small-Scale Transboundary Fishing in the Australian Fishing Zone," published in the journal Maritime Studies in October 2025 using AFMA data, fishing violations by small-scale Indonesian fishers in the AFZ have remained a problem for decades.

The number of Indonesian fishing vessels intercepted in the AFZ has remained relatively high in recent years.

The study found that Australian authorities intercepted 337 Indonesian vessels in the 2021/2022 fiscal year. This figure dropped to 125 vessels in 2022/2023, but then rose to 237 vessels in 2023/2024.

Meanwhile, as of January 7, 2025, Australian authorities had intercepted 172 Indonesian vessels in the 2024/2025 fiscal year, although this data remained preliminary.

Latif expressed hope that improving fishers' understanding of territorial boundaries and fishing regulations at an early stage would help reduce cross-border violations and protect Indonesian fishermen from legal risks while at sea.

Related news: Indonesian navy hunts suspected foreign fishing vessels

Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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