RI, A`lia agree to develop tuna farming

Antara News, Monday, May 17, 2010 20:58 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Australia have agreed to cooperate in developing tuna farming in Bali province, Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said.

"Australia has agreed to provide US$10 million in funds to develop tuna farming including offshore tuna farming in Indonesia," Fadel said after a meeting between the Indonesian Maritime Council and the House of Representatives` Commission IV here on Monday.

The project would be carried out in Bali, he said.

The Australian funds would also be used for marine researches in Indonesia, he said.

He said there had been proposal to take advantage of around 360 used oil rigs in the Indonesian waters for fish farming.

"I think it is good idea to take advantage of the used oil rigs for deep sea fish farming or offshore port. But we still have to study the possibility of using them," he said.He said his office would discuss the matter with relevant agencies.

"The cost of dismantling the used oil rigs is large or about the same as the cost of producing new oil rigs. I will also report the possibility of using the used oil rigs for fish farming to the President," he said.

Officer: I Saw Susno Take the Bribe Over Fish Farm

Jakarta Globe, Farouk Arnaz, May 09, 2010

Susno Duadji arriving at National Police headquarters in this file photo.
(JG Photo/Safir Makki)

A middle-ranking police officer said on Sunday he witnessed former National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji take a bribe from suspected major case broker Sjahril Djohan in December 2008.

“I saw it,” former narcotics detective Adj. Sr. Comr. Syamsurizal Mokoagouw told the Jakarta Globe. “I bumped into Sjahril at Susno’s house on Jalan Abu Ferin in Fatmawati [South Jakarta]. I was there to report to Susno prior to my departure for the Netherlands on a methamphetamine-smuggling investigation.”

Syamsurizal added police have summoned him as a witness in the probe into the alleged Rp 500 million ($55,000) bribe.

“I told the investigators everything I saw,” he said. “I’m willing to testify against Susno, and I’m not afraid of anything because what I’ve said is true.”

He said he saw Sjahril hand Susno a brown paper bag, but did not see its contents. Sjahril is alleged to have bribed Susno on behalf of the co-owner of a fish farm who was seeking a police probe into his business partner for embezzlement.

“Since the case came to light, I’ve understood that the money was a bribe,” Syamsurizal said.

According to copies of police dossiers obtained by the Globe three weeks ago, Sjahril, who was declared a suspect in mid-April, told investigators he had personally handed over the bribe to Susno at the latter’s home in December 2008.

Sjahril said that Syamsurizal had happened to be there. Sjahril said he was acquainted with the officer from his stint as a consultant at the National Police’s Narcotics Directorate in East Jakarta, where Syamsurizal served between 2006 and 2008.

Sjahril, according to the dossiers, said the money came from Haposan Hutagalung, a lawyer representing a Singaporean businessman identified only as Mr Hoo. Hoo had previously pressed charges against his business partner, Anwar Salamah, for allegedly embezzling 11 million Singapore dollars from their joint-venture arowana farm in Riau.

“Mr Hoo felt the police investigators were ineffective, so Haposan sought my help to speed things up,” Sjahril said. “I was close to Susno, so I used that relationship to help Haposan.”

Susno is scheduled for questioning at police headquarters this morning as a witness after failing to appear last Thursday.

“I’ve given my explanation to this allegation on my personal Web site, www.susnoduadji.com,” he told the Globe on Sunday. “Check it out there.”

In his statement, Susno reiterates his innocence and denies ever taking a bribe from Sjahril.

“It is impossible that I took a bribe because the [arowana] case remains in limbo even now,” the site says. “The prosecutors say their dossier on it is not yet complete.” Susno adds that one of his superiors was a stakeholder in the farm, but does not elaborate.

Susno also says on his site that he will show up for questioning today but will demand details of the case before proceeding with the questioning.

A police source working on the case told the Globe earlier that police were close to arresting Susno on charges of bribery, no matter the outcome of his questioning.

Related Article:

Susno evades questioning while police reveal new case

70 percent of mangrove forests in Pohuwato damaged

Antara News, Monday, March 22, 2010 14:55 WIB

Gorontalo (ANTARA News) - Some 70 percent of the total 25,688 hectares of mangrove forest in Pohuwato district, Gorontalo, were damaged, a source of the local community said.

"The opening of fish ponds in Pohuwato has contributed to the damage of mangrove forests in he area," Iwan Abbay, chairman of the local community concerned about the condition of the mangrove forests area, said here on Monday.

Iwan said Pohuwato district were used to own a large scale of mangrove area. In fact, Pohuwato was claimed as the biggest buffer zone for Tomini bay area which includes Gorontalo province and half part of North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi provinces respectively.

According to data from local managing board for river basins s (DAS) in 2007, of the total 25,688 hectares of mangrove forests in Pohuwato district, 14,017 hectares were heavily damaged and 7,546 hectares slightly damaged. Only 4,123 hectares of the mangrove forests are still on good condition.

Mangrove forests protect coastal areas against erosion, storms (hurricanes), and the tsunamis. The mangrove`s massive root system is efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal waves so that sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles during low tide.

In this way, mangrove crops build their own environment. Because of the uniqueness of mangrove ecosystems and the protection against erosion that they provide, they are often the object of conservation programs including national Biodiversity Action Plans.

RI’s mangrove forests shrinks to 2 million ha

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/21/2010 11:31 PM

Indonesia’s mangrove forest area has shrunk from 4.2 million hectares in 1982 to 2 million hectares, according to an NGO.

People’s Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (Kiara) said Sunday the expansion of brackish fishponds was the main cause of the dwindling mangroves.

Kiara’s secretary general M. Riza Damanik said the deforestation had tipped the environmental balance in coastal areas, especially the declining fish production and rapid abrasions due to high waves.

“The government sees mangrove simply as a commodity that benefits a few people. The mangrove issue has demonstrated the government’s lack of environmental concern.”

The Royal Society, a science academy in Britain, recently released a report about the rapid loss of mangroves all over the world.

In Thailand, each hectare of brackish fishpond yields only US$9,600 for the owner. But the Thai government has to shoulder $1,000 in pollution cost, $12,400 in the loss of ecological functions, $8,400 in subsidies for local community and $9,300 to restore the mangrove forest.

Kiara notes the recent aggressive expansion of oil palm plantations had also worsened the situation because in some areas, the project affects coasts. — JP

24,000 Ha prepared for Patin fish breeding

Antara News, Saturday, January 30, 2010 06:49 WIB

Jambi (ANTARA News) - Maurojambi regency which had been appointed one of the patin fish production centers, has prepared 24 thousand hectares for fish culture, patin fish in particular, Regent of Muarojambi H Burhanudin Mahir said in Sengeti, capital of Muarojambi, Jambi, on Thursday.

"This region has a very high potential vast land to help intensify this project, for which we have prepared 24,000 ha of fishery land," the regent said.

The plots of land are located in several subdistricts and regencies, like Kumpeh, Sekernan and Jaluko. The land will be run by the farmer groups in every subdistrict.

Not only land, the regency administration will also provide the Jambi patin fish with seedlings and other fish species for breeding by the farmers free of charge.

S Sumatra`s mangrove forests in critical conditions :official

Antara News, Monday, November 2, 2009 17:51 WIB

Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Mangrove forests in South Sumatra are in critical conditions due to the conversion of coastal areas into shrimp and fish farms by local residents, a provincial maritime official said.

To stop a further deterioration of the mangrove forests, the South Sumatra marine resources and fisheries office was planning to plant 125,000 mangrove seedlings along the coasts of Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts, the office`s head, Lukman Nur Hakim, said here on Monday.

A small team consisting local residents would later be formed to continuously watch over the newly planted mangrove seedlings, he said.

But Lukman admitted the 125,000 mangrove seedlings would not be enough to restore the degraded mangrove forests to their original conditions. Therefore, his office was also planning to do the mangrove replanting along South Sumatra province`s coasts every year and thus gradually increase the number of new mangrove trees.

Lukman said mangroves played an important role in preserving the existence of marine biota and preventing soil abrasion. Mangroves could also help clean the air and reduce the effects of global warming.

In order to maintain the marine environment, Lukman added, his office was continuously monitoring the existence of coral reefs along coastal areas in Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts.

Five spots in the two districts had also been designated as places to cultivate new coral reefs, Lukman said.

According to the official NACA (an inter-governmental organisation promoting rural development through sustainable aquaculture) website www.enaca.org, close to half of mangrove coverage occurs in five countries, i.e. Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico with the largest mangrove area in Southeast Asia located in Indonesia.

In general, the mangroves of Southeast Asia were the best developed and most diverse in terms of plants and animals. Fifty two out of the 268 plant species that have been recorded from these mangrove areas are true mangrove species or those that are found only in mangrove habitats while the others are mangrove associated species that are also encountered in non-mangrove habitats.

Eighteen species of mangrove plants are endemic to the south east Asian region and eight out of them are true mangroves.

Current member of NACA are Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Indonesia Ornamental Fish Show 2009

The Jakarta Post,

Venue: Jakarta Convention Center - Date: Thu, 10/08/2009 - Sun, 10/11/2009

The Indonesia Ornamental Fish Show 2009 (IOFS), an official exhibition and business from of the Ministry of the Marine and Fishery, is designed to promote the richness and multi-variety of hundreds of Indonesian ornamental fish and aquatic products. As the largest archipelago country in the world, Indonesia has been a leading fish ornamental and aquatic products exporter to all parts of the world.

Besides showcasing ornamental fish and aquatic products, the show is also displaying supporting products and accessories of ornamental fish.