Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono revealed that losses from the smuggling of lobster seeds by Vietnam amounted to Rp16 trillion. "It's about Rp16 trillion each year," said Trenggono to reporters at the Marine Aquaculture Institute in Batam, Riau Islands, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
During a working meeting with the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission IV on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Trenggono also revealed that Vietnam engages in lobster seed smuggling. During the meeting, he explained that the smuggling was discovered when they evaluated the lobster cultivation partnership with Vietnam.
Indonesia initially collaborated with Vietnam through a joint venture (JV) scheme for lobster cultivation. Through this cooperation, Indonesia and Vietnam aimed to produce up to 30 million tons of lobster every month for one year. Trenggono stated that the production target was not achieved due to Vietnam's smuggling of lobster seeds.
In addition to ending the cooperation, Trenggono stated that he has requested President Prabowo Subianto to issue a presidential regulation (perpres) regarding lobster seed smuggling. If the perpres is issued, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Regulation No. 7 of 2024 concerning the Management of Lobster (Panulirus spp.), Crab (Scylla spp.), and Prawn (Portunus spp.) will no longer be valid.
This ministerial regulation serves as the legality for exporting lobster seeds. Through this rule, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries allows investors to cultivate lobsters in Indonesia after reaching an agreement. Trenggono said that his ministry is currently making efforts to prevent lobster seed smuggling by cultivating lobsters independently through modeling schemes at the Marine Aquaculture Institute in Batam, Riau Islands. "Our baby lobsters, which number in the billions in the Indonesian waters, are almost like they're flying out," said Trenggono.
Furthermore, the Ministry has conducted lobster seed hatching four times since October 2024. From October to December last year, the Ministry conducted three hatching cycles with a total of 33,143 seeds.
Meanwhile, in 2025, the ministry conducted two hatching cycles in July and August, using a total of 8,000 seeds. The hatching activities include seeding, feeding, and seed maintenance.
From the cultivation results, approximately 1.7 tons of lobsters have been harvested. Trenggono stated that there are currently 144 lobster farming units in the cultivation area. He aims to add up to 2,000 farming units next year.