The Indonesian government has announced that it is facilitating a marine and fisheries ecolabel certification programme for developing countries around the world
At the world fisheries conference held by Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) at Nusa Dua in Bali recently, Saut P Hutagalung, director general of Processing and Marketing of Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs, said, “There are ten developing countries participating in this conference.”
As an institution of international fisheries which gives ecolabel certification in developing countries, Saut added that MSC ensures that all fish which go on sale were caught without damaging the environment.
“Indonesia, as one of the leading fishing nations in the world, has great interest in certification which supports environmental sustainability,” he said.
Saut said that the ecolabel certification is a requirement for getting entry into the export market. “Ecolabel certification is also part of the governments policies which lead to sustainable fisheries management.”
The Indonesian government is currently working on getting MSC certification for tuna, crab, red snapper and grouper, which are the main fish exports.
In 2013, the value of Indonesian fish exports reached US$4.2bn, with the main export markets being the EU countries, Japan and the US.
Of the total amount, tuna exports contributed US$764mn and crab exports contributed US$359mn. meanwhile, while red snapper exports brought in US$11.7mn, grouper exports contributed US$29mn.
Meanwhile, MSC director David Agnew explained that the certification will provide added value to fishery products in the global market.
“The global markets need certification for the sake of building a long-term and sustainable fisheries sector. Currently, there are 220 species of fish in the world which are included in this programme,” he said.
