Indonesian lobster seed smuggling crackdown

Following the seizure of approximately 150,000 smuggled lobster seeds on the Jakarta-Merak Toll Road in Banten, local police transferred two suspects and related evidence to the Serang District Attorney’s Office to proceed toward trial.

In response to these illegal distribution activities, the Indonesian government established the Task Force for the Eradication of Clear Lobster Seed Exports (Satgas P2BBL) under Presidential Regulation Number 69 of 2026. Led by the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs and the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the task force aims to protect marine economic potential by unifying enforcement and data collection. Officials stated the initiative will utilize “follow the network and follow the money” approaches to target the financiers and controllers of organized smuggling networks.

Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono noted that Indonesia has an annual potential of nearly 500 million lobster seeds, estimating that smuggling and suboptimal management result in economic losses of approximately USD 1 billion, or roughly IDR 17.9 trillion per year. Trenggono emphasized that lobster seed exports are permanently halted to encourage domestic aquaculture development, a policy supported by Ministerial Regulation Number 5 of 2026. The task force is instructed to map the entire distribution chain, spanning from collection points to transit areas and exit ports, coordinating prevention and law enforcement across land, sea, and air routes.