Indonesian Responsibility for High Seas Fisheries

High seas fishery is among the biggest sources of export for many countries including Indonesia, especially for pelagic and highly migratory species, such as tuna and tuna-like. One of the major developments in high seas fishery is the role of regional fisheries management organizations, encouraged by the 1982 UNCLOS. Indonesia is surrounded by several big RFMOs which include CCSBT, IOTC and WCPFC. As a sovereign country, Indonesia decided to ignore those developments and played outside the scheme of high seas fisheries management. Unfortunately, the international market has then pushed Indonesia into an undeniable situation of needing to follow the idea of managing high seas fisheries in sustainable manner. Indonesia eventually ratified the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement by Law No. 21 of 2009 and has also become a member of CCSBT and IOTC, while membership in WCPFC is just about to begin. This book examines the major problems of Indonesian high seas fishing, the current condition of the relevant Indonesian policy and laws, and the preparedness of Indonesian stakeholders in high seas fishing to conduct high seas fishing in sustainable manner.