Indonesia Resumes Export of Baby Lobsters

[Asia Economy Jakarta Correspondent Sujin Choi] Indonesia plans to resume the export of juvenile lobsters. Exports had been suspended due to indiscriminate harvesting, but with the population showing signs of recovery and illegal trade subsiding, the country has decided to reopen export channels. In Indonesia, lobster exports are expected to revitalize the local fisheries industry, which has been stagnant.

According to local media such as The Jakarta Post on the 18th, Eddy Prabowo, Indonesia's Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, recently decided to lift the ban on juvenile lobster exports after four years. Accordingly, official permission was granted to capture 140 million wild lobsters. The authorities allocated 70% of this quota to domestic aquaculture companies, with the remaining 30% designated for export. The 18 Indonesian companies permitted to capture juvenile lobsters must submit proof that they will cultivate them domestically, and export of juveniles abroad is prohibited. Previously, during her tenure in 2016, former Minister Susi Pudjiastuti established lobster export regulations to restore the declining lobster population and improve the illegal lobster market.

Indonesia is known as the world's second-largest lobster producer after Australia. The resumption of juvenile lobster exports has raised expectations for revitalizing Indonesia's fisheries industry. The Indonesian lobster market can handle an annual trade volume of 12,500 tons, and there are forecasts that it will become the world's largest lobster aquaculture site.

However, there has been strong opposition to the government’s decision. Marine experts and conservationists argue that the relaxed regulations are insufficient to encourage investment expansion in domestic lobster aquaculture and are ineffective in reducing illegal harvesting. According to Indonesia's Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), illegal juvenile lobster harvesting caused losses of 900 billion rupiah (approximately 78 billion KRW) last year alone. Illegally caught juvenile lobsters are mainly sold at high prices in Vietnam, Singapore, and China.

Izral Ifendi, a professor in the Department of Marine Aquaculture at Bogor Agricultural University, expressed concern, stating, "From the perspective of marine industry revitalization, companies permitted to capture lobsters are likely to be more interested in exports than domestic aquaculture." He pointed out that the qualifications for exporters should be stricter and noted that lobster export permits are not a particularly important factor for the development of Indonesia's aquaculture industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.