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Indonesia - Australia Fisheries Cooperation
The primary forum for fisheries and aquaculture cooperation between Australia and Indonesia is the Australia-Indonesia Working Group on Marine Affairs and Fisheries, under the auspices of the AIMF. The Working Group was established in June 2001 at a meeting between Australian Ministers and the Indonesian Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries, HE Dr Rokhmin Dahuri. Marine and fisheries issues had previously been progressed outside the AIMF and Ministers agreed to establish the Working Group as a way to institutionalise current collaboration across the spectrum of marine issues. The issues to be progressed in the Working Group primarily involve the fisheries, environment and scientific research portfolios, with DAFF taking the lead along with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in Indonesia.
The Working Group aims to coordinate existing cooperation and facilitate future cooperation in the areas of fisheries and aquaculture management, research and development, marine environmental conservation and marine biotechnology research and development. The first meeting of the Working Group was held in April 2002, and several areas for cooperation were agreed upon:
- cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
- fisheries management
- aquaculture development
- the marine environment
- marine biotechnology
- fishery products, safety, quality, product development and trade promotion
- education, training and capacity building
- poverty reduction, and
- marine, coastal and small islands development and management.
The Working Group met again in March 2003 to progress practical marine and fisheries cooperation between Australia and Indonesia. Particular areas for discussion included illegal fishing and management of the MoU Box (see below).
DAFF also facilitates a regional meeting between Australian, Indonesian and East Timorese fisheries officials on an annual basis (as part of the Northern Australia Fisheries Managers Workshop) and the outcomes of this meeting will flow back through to the Working Group.
The Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia Relating to Cooperation in Fisheries (1992 Fisheries Cooperation Agreement) provides a framework for fisheries and marine cooperation between Australia and Indonesia, and provides for information exchange on research, management and technological developments, complementary management of shared stocks, training and technical exchanges, aquaculture development, trade promotion and cooperation on illegal fishing. Consultations under the Agreement have been held annually (where possible), and it was agreed in April 2002 that further cooperation under the Agreement would be undertaken within the auspices of the Working Group on Marine Affairs and Fisheries.
MoU Box
Australia-Indonesia MoU regarding the Operations of Indonesian Traditional Fishermen in Areas of the Australian Fishing Zone and Continental Shelf – 1974
In 1974, as part of negotiations to delineate seabed boundaries, Australia and Indonesia entered into a MoU which recognised the rights of access for traditional Indonesian fishers in shared waters to the north of Australia. This access was granted in recognition of the long history of traditional Indonesian fishers that have fished the area. The MoU provides Australia with a tool to manage access to Australian waters while for Indonesia, it enables Indonesian traditional fishers to continue their customary practices and target species such as trepang, trochus, abalone and sponges. New guidelines under the MoU were agreed in 1989, in order to clarify access boundaries for traditional fishers and take into account the declaration of the 200 nautical mile fishing zones. The MoU area became known as the MoU Box.
A CSIRO report into reef top species in the MoU Box area was completed in 1999. The study indicated that reef top stocks in the MoU Box area were severely depleted. Recognising the existence of a shared problem, Australian and Indonesian officials met to discuss the issue in April 2002 and further meetings are scheduled to take place in 2003.
Bilateral Fisheries Priorities
In relation to fisheries and marine affairs, the key current issue for the Australia-Indonesia relationship is IUU fishing. Australia is working with Indonesia in several fora, but primarily the Working Group on Marine Affairs and Fisheries, to address the issue.
Cooperation to progress management arrangements for the MoU Box is also a priority for the bilateral fisheries relationship, along with the cooperative management of shared stocks such as snapper and shark. Australia will also be continuing to work with Indonesia to facilitate their participation in regional fisheries management organisations such as the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.