Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Traditional fishermen in Medan, North Sumatra, have complained about fish that they allege are being imported by merchants from Malaysia, Thailand, China and India, who have reportedly been infiltrating traditional markets in the city without paying the required retribution fees.
Indonesian Fishermen Association's (HNSI) Medan city branch chairman Zulfachri Siagian said such practices violated City Bylaw No. 14/2002, which obliges importers to pay a retribution fee of Rp 100 per kilogram of fish imported. "We see an injustice here," Siagian said.
He added that traditional fishermen had been obliged to pay the retribution fee for every kilogram of fish they catch. The same regulation, however, did not seem to apply to imported fish that had been freely sold in traditional markets throughout the city.
Siagian said that imported fish had been sold in local markets since July of this year. "It is worrying because if they are required to pay the retribution fee, the city's income will surely increase, significantly," Siagian said.
What was more worrying, he said, was that there had been indications that the fish were actually caught within Indonesian waters and were sold back to Indonesians using an import modus.
"The import documents are complete but the fish are caught within Indonesian waters," Siagian told The Jakarta Post, Monday, but did not specify where the fish were caught.
Siagian also said that fish imports were banned in the region for about five months by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry's fishery product processing and marketing directorate general. The ban was implemented due to considerations that the distribution of imported fish hurt traditional markets in the region.
The ban, however, has been lifted since July 2011, on the condition that fish imports would not disturb local markets. As such, fish imports were allowed, but only for particular species and for canning, hotel needs, modern markets such as plazas and malls, or for enrichment purposes, such as, for example, producing fish oil.
"All has been violated because in fact they [importers] directly market the fish in traditional markets," said Siagian, adding that the practice had disturbed the market of traditional fishermen in the region.
He said that according to association data, some 3,500 tons of imported fish of the 8,700 tons allowed under the quota have being marketed in traditional markets in the city as of this month. "This means that there are still some 5,000 tons ready to enter the market until the end of this year."
He strongly urged the local authorities to lift its recommendation on fish imports so as not to disturb the markets of traditional fishermen.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry statistics and information center head Yulistyo Mudho said that in principle the ministry continues to limit the import of fish.
However, to completely ban fish imports the ministry needs a recommendation and verification from the related institution of the local administration. "The ministry cannot just ban fish imports before the recommendation is issued by the local administration's institution," Yulistyo said.
With regard to the retribution fee, Yulisto said that sanctions could be imposed upon importers if the bylaw required regulators to gather a fee.
Medan Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency head Wahid said he was not aware of any indications that imported fish sold in the city were caught in Indonesian waters.
"What I know is that there have been many foreign ships caught red-handed stealing fish from our waters," he told the Post on Monday.
He agreed that the distribution of imported fish in the city had impacted traditional fish markets as the fish sold were the same species as those caught by local fishermen.