US applauds Indonesia minister for crackdown on illegal fishing

WASHINGTON: A high school dropout turned seafood entrepreneur is leading Indonesia’s crackdown on illegal fishing, winning plaudits from conservationists and awards as far away as Washington despite her explosive methods.

A favourite tactic is seizing foreign fishing vessels and then blowing up the empty boats into smithereens to send a message to her country’s neighbours.

Susi Pudjiastuti (pic), honoured this week in Washington for her ecological work, has led the charge in destroying hundreds of fishing vessels in the past two years as Indonesia’s minister for maritime affairs and fisheries.

Her efforts have not eliminated a problem that has plagued the archipelago nation for decades, she said, but they have boosted fish stocks and curbed smuggling.

“What we also earn is respect,” she said in Washington, where she joined other recipients of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards.

Susi, 52, was cited for her efforts in protecting Indonesia’s marine ecosystem and tackling poachers and organised crime.

Susi has won popularity at home as the campaign’s leader, defying initial skepticism when she was tapped as minister in 2014.

She had no political experience and had not even graduated from high school. But she had spent three decades as a seafood entrepreneur and knew the business.

“The visuals and press that come from her tough practices on blowing these ships up have really helped educate the world,” said Sally Yozell of Washington’s Stimson Centre think tank, speaking of the global scourge of overfishing. — AP