"We gain little benefit from licensed fishing cooperation so I decided to cease the cooperation with Thailand. We've stopped the cooperation with the Philippines for a year and next year we'll stop the one with China," minister Fredy Numberi said at a national conference on coastal areas, marine life and small islands on Tuesday in Batam.

He said the cooperation with Thailand would effectively come to an end on September 15, and a decision on the one

with China was likely to be decided early next year.

Under the cooperation, he said, fishing boats from Thailand could freely fish in Indonesian waters in return for non-tax revenue for the state. However, the Indonesian government did not know the amount of fish being caught, while in some cases, the ships have extended their permits.

He said he hoped that after the end of the cooperation, Thailand would build its fish processing industry in Indonesia.

"We can learn from the Philippines. After we ended our cooperation, it built three fish processing centres in eastern Indonesia. One has already started operating," Fredy said.

Based on the ministry's data, there are about 300 licensed fishing boats from Thailand operating in Indonesia, mostly in the Riau Islands, higher than the number of ships from China and the Philippines.

The Jakarta Post/ANN

Batam