March 29, 2017

Indonesia, Australia in joint cooperation to strengthen fisheries management

Indonesia and Australia have joined forces to strengthen global fisheries management and improve compliance measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Delegates from the Indonesian Coast Guard (Bakamla) and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries recently visited Australian Fisheries Management Authority's (AFMA) Canberra office to discuss how measures can be better enforced.

The officials toured Australia as part of a three-and-a-half-week professional development course run by the University of Wollongong's Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security.

A stopover at AFMA marked the final destination of their tour of Australian agencies, having completed class-based learning and practical excursions with other Australian authorities, such as Maritime Border Command.

As part of AFMA's efforts to continually improve international relations and communication, many AFMA officers who deal directly with Indonesian fishers and operators have learnt or are learning Bahasa language.