Maritime law enforcement: Indonesia's experience against illegal fishing

• Published in: Ocean & coastal management Vol. 229; p. 106304
• Main Authors: Dirhamsyah, Dirham, Umam, Saiful, Arifin, Zainal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2022
• Subjects: IUU Fishing; Law enforcement; Maritime security; National coast guard; Omnibus law; Omnibus law; Law enforcement; National coast guard; IUU Fishing; Maritime security
• ISSN: 0964-5691; 1873-524X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106304

Maritime law enforcement is very important duty for a coastal state as failure to properly enforce maritime security law can result in undermining the sovereignty, security, and safety of a coastal state. The high number of maritime crimes occurring in Indonesian waters shows that this country is still faced with the enforcement of maritime security laws in dealing with illegal fishing. This paper examines the international and national laws relevant to maritime security and analyses the institutions arrangement of maritime security in Indonesia. To analyze the issues and countermeasures of illegal fishing, this research uses the case study method. This case study uses data on illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing that occurred in Indonesian waters in 2015–2020. Finally, the recommendations for creating an omnibus law and establishing a new maritime security agency to improve the performance of maritime security law enforcement in Indonesia are proposed. •Maritime security is a key factor in securing and preventing threats to all aspects of a coastal state's maritime domain..•Indonesia suffers from illegal fishing and other maritime crimes, due to the weakness in maritime law enforcement system.•Creating an omnibus law is one option to overcome the complexity of maritime regulations in Indonesia.•Establishing a coast guard agency is an option to resolve the overlapping functions of law enforcement agencies in the Indonesian seas.