Indonesia Sinks 13 Vietnamese Boats in War on Illegal Fishing

(Bloomberg) -- At least 13 Vietnamese boats were sunk by Indonesian authorities on Saturday in a war on illegal fishing, as President Joko Widodo’s administration seeks to increase marine stocks in the world’s largest archipelago.

The crackdown in West Kalimantan is part of a government plan to destroy 51 foreign boats seized by the country’s courts over illegal fishing, according to a Marine and Fisheries Ministry statement. The authority destroyed two vessels in April and another 36 will be sunk.

“Investment in a country requires legal certainty and we are giving certainty to the offender. No law discrimination,” Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said in the statement.

Fish stocks in the third quarter of 2018 increased to 6.2 million tons, from 5.4 million tons in same period of 2015. The campaign against illegal fishing has resulted in the sinking of 503 foreign vessels since October 2014.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rieka Rahadiana in Jakarta at rrahadiana@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, John McCluskey

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