Syarif said the two countries have agreed to continue the cooperation because for the United States, Indonesia has a significant value in the fishery production and aquatic environments.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The governments of Indonesia and the United States have agreed to continue the cooperation in marine and fisheries field, Maritime and Fisheries Minister Syarif Cicip Sutarjo said here on Friday.

He said the two countries have agreed to continue the cooperation because for the United States, Indonesia has a significant value in the fishery production and aquatic environments.

"We will continue our cooperation that has been running as a joint Committee on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)," Sharif said.

He said the cooperation with the United States would also be harmonized with various programs of the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry, especially in the field of science and economy between the two countries.

Syarif also explained that the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry would also cooperate with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to deal with climate change and food security.

According to him, support from the United States and cooperation were also needed in the effort to combat illegal fishing and the application of ecosystem approach to fisheries management in Indonesia.

Besides, other cooperation with the US include among others the application of "Port State Measure" program, small scale fishermen empowerment, and the fulfillment of fishery products quality standards set by the United States.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel said Indonesia was an important country, especially in fisheries production, and the protection of its wide territorial waters.

Marciel also said his country would strongly support the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) program which was considered useful for improving food security.

The RI-US cooperation was commenced in 2003 through a nautical partner program which was strengthened with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the cooperation in science, technology, and application marine and fisheries field in 2007.

In the cooperation with NOAA, the two countries conducted a joint exploration at Sangihe Talaut waters in North Sulawesi in 2010.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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