The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia stated that the illegal sea fence in the waters of Tangerang Regency, Banten Province, has harmed local fishermen. The time it takes for fishermen to go to sea has increased due to the sea fence made of 30.16 kilometers of bamboo slats.
Ombudsman member, Yeka Hendra Fatika, said that the information was a finding from a field check he conducted in December 2024. Yeka had visited Kronjo District and several other areas on the coast where the sea fence was standing.
Yeka said that fishermen complained because the journey to sea had become difficult due to the
fence in the middle of the sea. Fishing boats had to take a detour to get to the open sea. “The fishermen’s complaint is, now if they want to go to sea it can take an hour, an hour and a half, going around looking for a hole before going to sea. Why? Because it’s fenced,” he said via telephone on Sunday, January 12, 2025.
He said that this condition has caused losses for fishermen. This is because they have to spend more money on fuel for their boats. In addition, fishermen also cannot use the one and a half hours lost on the journey productively. Some fishermen also do not go to sea due to the fence.
The Ombudsman estimates that the existence of the sea fence has caused losses of up to tens of billions of rupiah. “The total is Rp16 billion, as long as the case exists. The potential loss is that much,” he said.
The sea fence has now been sealed by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). The sealing took place on Thursday, January 9, 2025. KKP gave the builders and owners of the fence 20 days to dismantle the buildings they built without permission. KKP is still trying to identify the party responsible for the construction of the sea fence.
The illegal sea fence sealed by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries crosses the coast of 16 villages in six sub-districts in Tangerang Regency. The fence stretches across three villages in Kronjo District, three villages in Kemiri District, four villages in Mauk District, one village in Sukadiri District, three villages in Pakuhaji District, and two villages in Teluknaga District.