Indonesia, Vietnam Explore Bilateral Fishery Cooperation

Jakarta, VIVA – The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) revealed that the fishery cooperation with Vietnam for lobster commodities has been implemented in Jembrana, Bali and is still ongoing at the maintenance stage for three months.

The lobster farming system in Jembrana is carried out by adopting techniques applied in Vietnam, including the use of cages and maintenance at a depth of 15 to 20 meters.

It also includes procedures for handling clear lobster seeds, refreshing, selecting, and quality control of clear lobster seeds from fishermen at the Fish Quarantine Installation before being distributed to farming units.

"I would like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam for their support in the development of fisheries in Indonesia, especially the lobster commodity," said Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The minister highlighted that several advances in aquaculture have been made together, including the transfer of lobster farming management technology through the development of standard operating procedures for lobster maintenance applied in Vietnam and adopted in Indonesia.

"These measures are expected to reduce the risk of mortality and increase the survival rate of farmed lobsters," he remarked.

Minister Trenggono then invited Vietnam to develop cooperation in tuna and seaweed farming commodities.

"I invite Vietnamese investors to invest in tuna and seaweed in Indonesia," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien expressed readiness to implement aquaculture cooperation through tuna and seaweed commodities with the signing of a cooperation agreement.

"We will prepare a draft cooperation for the development of tuna and seaweed farming," he remarked.

It's known that Idovin Aquaculture International, one of the companies investing in aquaculture in Indonesia, acknowledged the benefits of the cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam in developing lobster farming.

Idovin Aquaculture International spokesperson Adinda Cresheilla said that the company has already invested 4 million USD, or about 20 million USD over the next five years, in lobster farming in Floating Net Cages (KJA) in Jembrana, Bali.

"Through cooperation with Vietnam, we have learned about work ethic, discipline of fishermen, as well as technology and knowledge. We are optimistic that with this learning, we can produce high-quality lobsters," she said.