The Battle against Fisheries Related Crimes in Indonesia

Indonesia, straddling Southeast Asia and Oceania along the equator, is the world’s largest archipelagic state with roughly 17,500 islands. Its status as an archipelago was formalized by the 1957 Djuanda Declaration and later affirmed in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which sets out nations’ maritime rights and responsibilities. This extensive maritime domain gives Indonesia abundant fisheries resources but also creates a vast, porous seascape where illegal activities—ranging from unregulated fishing to human trafficking, drug smuggling, and weapons trade—flourish. In 2019, transnational crimes accounted for about 16 percent of all reported offenses, underscoring the complex security challenges posed by the nation’s strategic location.

To combat these threats, Indonesia has built a layered legal framework that includes historic statutes such as the 1939 Territorial Sea and Maritime Environment Act, the 1983 EEZ law, and more recent measures like the 2009 amendment to the Fisheries Act and the 2014 Maritime Affairs Act. Internationally, the country has ratified the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (via Law No. 5/2009), recognizing the intertwined nature of fisheries violations with broader illicit networks. The current focus is on strengthening law‑enforcement capacity, enhancing border controls, prosecuting perpetrators, and fostering regional cooperation to curb illegal fishing, human trafficking, and related transnational crimes.

Nukila Evanty speaks on “Complexity of Response to Slavery Crimes in the Fisheries Industry in Indonesia”.

Rina Shahriyani Shahrullah discusses “Illegal Fishing in the Ranai Natuna Waters" ContemporaryIssue in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone”

Ninne Zahara Silviani addresses “Smuggling of Migrants towards sea routes in Riau Islands”

Cynthia Putri Guswandi serves as a moderator for the session.