TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) admits that Indonesia still imports salmon and mackerel. There is still an insufficient quantity of salmon and mackerel in Indonesia for industry needs.
"Salmon and mackerel are still very scarce in Indonesia," said Halid K. Jusuf, the Director of Fisheries Resources Supervision at the Marine Ministry, during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Halid revealed this information regarding the smuggling of 99,972 tons of frozen Pacific mackerel or salmon through Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta earlier this year.
According to Halid, dozens of tons of mackerel transported in four containers arrived at Tanjung Priok Port on Monday, January 5, 2026. The importer was PT CBJ, a company engaged in the wholesale trade of fishery products, located at the fishery port in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.
After thwarting the smuggling attempt and seizing four containers containing dozens of tons of salmon, the Directorate General of Marine and Fisheries Resource Supervision at the Marine Ministry summoned and examined the director and commissioners of PT CBJ, as well as prepared an inspection report.
Based on the examination results, Halid stated that PT CBJ was approved to import 100 tons in January 2025. Five months later, the Ministry of Trade granted an additional import quota of 50 tons in June 2025. Thus, the import quota held by PT CBJ in 2025 was 150 tons.
The import quota had already been used up or realized in the same year. Halid stated that PT CBJ had imported 100 tons of fishery products in February 2025 and 50 tons in July 2025.
However, Halid mentioned that PT CBJ interpreted this quota change as an additional import allocation of 250 tons. "This is a misinterpretation and the basis for our actions," said Halid.
Halid said that due to misinterpretation of the change in import quotas, PT CBJ placed an order for 100 tons in December 2025. Thus, the importation carried out at the end of that year was done with an import approval (PI) issued by the Ministry of Trade and without a recommendation for import commodities (RKI) issued by the Marine Ministry.
Halid mentioned that the potential loss saved by the country from this discovery amounted to Rp4.48 billion. This potential loss encompasses the fiscal implications of value-added tax (VAT) and the effect of smuggling on fish prices in the market.
Regarding the perpetrators, Halid stated that the government will impose administrative sanctions rather than criminal ones. The Marine Ministry will impose a fine of Rp1 billion on PT JCB. Halid recommended that the Indonesian Quarantine Agency destroy the smuggled cargo or send it back to the country of origin.
Read: Indonesian Authorities Bust 99 Tons of Smuggled Frozen Mackerel
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