With the issuance of the certificates for fishermen, the legality of their vessels and fishing gear is confirmed, so legally they are safe and there is protection
Bantul (ANTARA) – The Directorate-General of Sea Transportation of Transportation Ministry has issued certificates of fishing boat ownership, for 41 fishermen who own motorboats in Bantul District, Yogyakarta.
“With the issuance of the certificates for fishermen, the legality of their vessels and fishing gear is confirmed, so legally they are safe and there is protection,” said Abdul Halim Muslih, Head of Bantul District, on Tuesday.
He added fishing boat ownership certificates can serve as collateral or guarantee when fishermen or boat owners need additional capital from banking institutions appointed by the government.
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“Just by collateralizing their certificates, they can get additional capital, and the regional development bank is ready. I think other banks are ready to help people’s business loans for fishermen,” he added.
Muslih stressed the certificates for motor boats with a capacity of under seven gross tonnage (GT) issued by the Transportation Ministry this year has still not covers all fishing boats along Bantul’s southern coast, which were as many as 128 boats.
However, he stressed that the district government, through the Bantul Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service, will continuously encourage the central government to issue the passes to other fishermen in Bantul who have still not received certificates for their fishing gear vehicles.
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“Later on, we will do it gradually, so that all fishing boats will be proposed every year, even all the time, so that they can get certificates. This measure will welcome the Indonesian maritime era, because Yogyakarta, Bantul particularly, has the sea. Therefore, Bantul must welcome the era with careful preparations,” he stressed.
He expects this government facility to boost the productivity of fishermen and improve welfare, given that Bantul is a district that has great marine potential but is still too underdeveloped to be utilized.
“Therefore, with marine life that is rich in biota and fish resources, we must continue to increase its utilization. For this reason, reliable fishermen are needed, whose skills, knowledge and capacity continue to be built, in order to increase productivity,” he said in conclusion.
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