Jakarta, Jan. 13 -- Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries is prioritizing administrative sanctions to curb violations in fishery commodity imports, saying the approach is effective in enforcing compliance while safeguarding business continuity and protecting workers in the fisheries sector.

The policy has become the ministry's main law-enforcement tool in handling import violations, with a focus on ensuring businesses comply with licensing requirements, quotas and import approval mechanisms under prevailing regulations.

"If we freeze or revoke permits, the impact is not only on companies but also on workers. That is why administrative sanctions are our first option," Halid K. Jusuf, director of fishery resources surveilla...