A Tour de Force Against Illegal Fishing

Former Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Minister Susi is a powerhouse and another inspiring Benchley Ocean Award winner. In a world dominated by men, she dared to take on powerful fishing interests in China and other nations with sticks of dynamite!

From 2014 to October of 2019, Minister Susi’s Department captured illegal fishing vessels, prosecuted the captains, and then, instead of simply punishing them with hefty fines and letting them go, took the boats to open water and blew them up. More than 400 boats are now on the bottom of the sea becoming reefs for fish---never again to fish illegally. It’s poetic justice.

She became hugely popular for taking direct action and for improving the livelihoods of more than 6 million domestic fishermen, their families and their coastal communities. And, she has called on her successor, Edhy Prabowo, to maintain the pace of reforms already achieved and to ensure the protection of the environment and coastal communities from extractive industries.