The Role of the ASEAN Maritime Forum in Addressing the Complexity of Illegal Fishing in the Strait of Malacca
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33019/z6ms9e83Keywords:
IUU Fishing, Strait of Malacca , ASEAN Maritime Forum , Maritime Security, Regional CooperationAbstract
The Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, faces persistent threats from Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, which undermines marine resource sustainability, economic security, and regional stability. This study analyzes the role of the ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) in addressing IUU fishing through the lens of international cooperation and maritime security theories. Employing a qualitative descriptive-analytical approach and case study method, the research draws on secondary data from ASEAN documents, national regulations, international reports, and scholarly sources. Findings show that the AMF functions as a regional dialogue and coordination platform, facilitating intelligence sharing, joint patrols, capacity building, and policy harmonization among ASEAN member states. Notable mechanisms include the ASEAN Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS) network, Malacca Straits Patrols, and the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action to Combat IUU Fishing. While these initiatives have contributed to improved maritime domain awareness and reduced incidents by up to 20% in recent years, the AMF’s operational impact remains constrained by disparities in technical capacity, sovereignty sensitivities, limited enforcement authority, and funding shortages. The study concludes that strengthening AMF effectiveness requires harmonizing fisheries laws, enhancing technological integration, ensuring sustainable financing, and fostering cross-sector collaboration with external partners. Ultimately, the AMF holds strategic potential as a pillar of collective maritime governance in Southeast Asia, yet its success hinges on transforming political consensus into binding, coordinated, and enforceable actions.
Downloads
References
Afriansyah, A. (2016). Indonesia’s Practice in Combatting Illegal Fishing: 2015–2016. In S. Lee, H. E. Lee, B. Lowell, & Z. Keyuan (Eds.), Asian Yearbook of International Law (Vol. 22). [https://doi.org/10.1163/j.ctvrxk3zz.18](https://doi.org/10.1163/j.ctvrxk3zz.18)
Agastia, I. G. B. D. (2021). Maritime security cooperation within the asean institutional framework: A gradual shift towards practical cooperation. Journal of ASEAN Studies, 9(1), 25–48. [https://doi.org/10.21512/JAS.V9I1.6919](https://doi.org/10.21512/JAS.V9I1.6919)
Arbiol, J., & Minh, Q. P. (2025, April 28). Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in the ASEAN Region. The ASEAN Magazine.
Aretha Michellia, A., & Burhanuddin, A. (2024). Kolaborasi regional dalam menjaga keamanan maritim: Studi kasus peran AMF di Asia Tenggara. JIMR: Journal Of International Multidisciplinary Research, 3(02), 98–110. [https://doi.org/10.62668/jimr.v3i02.1289](https://doi.org/10.62668/jimr.v3i02.1289)
ASEAN. (2014). Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices including Combating IUU Fishing in the Region. [https://imcsnet.org/sites/default/files/media_files/ASEAN-RPOA-IUU.pdf](https://imcsnet.org/sites/default/files/media_files/ASEAN-RPOA-IUU.pdf)
ASEAN. (2017). ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) Vision & Mission. [https://asean.org/?static_post=asean-maritime-forum](https://asean.org/?static_post=asean-maritime-forum)
ASEAN, & SEAFDEC. (2016). Joint-Declaration-Combating-IUU-Fishing. [https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Joint-Declaration-Combating-IUU-Fishing.pdf](https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Joint-Declaration-Combating-IUU-Fishing.pdf)
Axelrod, R. (1981). The emergence of cooperation among egoist. In American Political Science Review (pp. 306–318).
Axelrod, R. (1984). The evolution of cooperation.
Bateman, S., Bergin, A., Breen, B., Chand, S., Dobell, G., Firth, S., Goldsmith, A., Herr, R., & Lowry, B. (2008). Australian Strategic Policy Institute Report Part Title: Maritime security Report Part Author(s): Sam Bateman and Anthony Bergin Report Title: Australia and the South Pacific Report Subtitle: Rising to the challenge.
Bergin, A., Brewster, D., & Bachhawat, A. (2019). Islands and maritime security. [http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep23122.4](http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep23122.4)
Crowell, B., & Turvold, W. (2020). Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and the impacts on maritime security. [https://about.jstor.org/terms](https://about.jstor.org/terms)
Dougherty, J. E., & Pfaltzgraff, R. L. (1997). Contending Theories of International Relations: A Comprehensive Survey (4th ed.). Longman/HarperCollins.
Fajriah, A. N., & Latifah, E. (2018). Peran ASEAN dalam menanggulangi terorisme di laut sebagai ancaman terhadap keamanan maritim. Belli Ac Pacis, 4(1). [https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/belli/article/download/39976/26252](https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/belli/article/download/39976/26252)
FAO. (2009). Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA). [http://www.fao.org/3/i1116t/i1116t.pdf](http://www.fao.org/3/i1116t/i1116t.pdf)
FAO. (2015). Combating IUU fishing in the Caribbean through policy and legislation. FAO Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean. [https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d248a817-042a-4e81-b75e-737c85147a64/content](https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d248a817-042a-4e81-b75e-737c85147a64/content)
Fearon, J. D. (1998). Bargaining, enforcement, and international cooperation. In Organization (Vol. 52, Issue 2). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/2601276](http://www.jstor.org/stable/2601276)
Ferdin Bakker, F., Parama Putra, A., & Putri Triana, R. (2020). Peran ASEAN dalam menanggulangi isu-isu utama kejahatan lintas negara di kawasan Asia Tenggara. JLBP, 2(1). [http://repository.uib.ac.id/1151/6/S_1451007_chapter3.pdf](http://repository.uib.ac.id/1151/6/S_1451007_chapter3.pdf)
Gallic, B. Le, & Cox, A. (2006). An economic analysis of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Key drivers and possible solutions. Marine Policy, 30(6), 689–695. [https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARPOL.2005.09.008](https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARPOL.2005.09.008)
Gaol, T. L. (2017). Peran ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) dalam menjaga keamanan maritim (studi kasus perompakan di perairan Selat Malaka). Jom FISIP, 4(1), 1–7. [https://www.neliti.com/publications/185724/peran-asean-maritime-forum-amf-dalam-menjaga-keamanan-maritim-studi-kasus-peromp](https://www.neliti.com/publications/185724/peran-asean-maritime-forum-amf-dalam-menjaga-keamanan-maritim-studi-kasus-peromp)
Gompert, D. C. (n.d.). Regional maritime security. In Sea Power and American Interests in the Western Pacific. RAND Corporation. [https://doi.org/10.7249/j.ctt2tt8zr.13](https://doi.org/10.7249/j.ctt2tt8zr.13)
Havascope. (2019). Global black market information: Illegal fishing. [https://www.havocscope.com/illegal-fishing/](https://www.havocscope.com/illegal-fishing/)
Heriyanto. (2025). Illegal fishing costs Indonesia 3 billion dollars a year.
Holsti, K. J. (1988). International Politics: A Framework for Analysis (5th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Ibnu Bintang, M., Perintis Kemerdekaan NoKM, J., & Selatan, S. (2025). Ancaman non-tradisional dalam keamanan maritim: Studi kasus perompakan di perairan Asia Tenggara. Port Management and Maritime Administration Journal, 2. [https://journal.imeral.or.id/index.php/PORTMAN](https://journal.imeral.or.id/index.php/PORTMAN)
Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative. (n.d.). Maritime security. Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI). Retrieved August 11, 2025, from [https://oceanjusticeinitiative.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/English-Version-of-Laporan-Deteksi-Marsec-IOJI_2023-2024-.pdf](https://oceanjusticeinitiative.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/English-Version-of-Laporan-Deteksi-Marsec-IOJI_2023-2024-.pdf)
International Labour Organization. (2020). Endline research findings on fishers and seafood workers in Thailand. [www.ilo.org/publns](http://www.ilo.org/publns)
International Labour Organization. (2013). ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. [www.ilo.org/asia](http://www.ilo.org/asia)
Istiqomah, R. N. (2016). Strategi hubungan Indonesia dengan Malaysia dalam mewujudkan Drug Free ASEAN 2015. Journal of International Relations, 2(1). [http://ejournal-s1.undip.ac.id/index.php/jihi](http://ejournal-s1.undip.ac.id/index.php/jihi)
Keliat, M. (2009). Keamanan maritim dan implikasi kebijakannya bagi Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 12(1), 111–129. [https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/jsp/article/view/10970](https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/jsp/article/view/10970)
Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan. (2024). Laporan kinerja. [https://kkp.go.id/download-pdf-akuntabilitas-kinerja/akuntabilitas-kinerja-pelaporan-kinerja-laporan-kinerja-kkp-2023.pdf](https://kkp.go.id/download-pdf-akuntabilitas-kinerja/akuntabilitas-kinerja-pelaporan-kinerja-laporan-kinerja-kkp-2023.pdf)
Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan RI. (2014). Peraturan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Republik Indonesia. [https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/INS209682.pdf](https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/INS209682.pdf)
Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan RI. (2015). Perubahan atas Peraturan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Nomor 56/PERMEN-KP/2014 tentang penghentian sementara (moratorium) perizinan usaha perikanan tangkap di wilayah pengelolaan perikanan Negara Republik Indonesia. In Peraturan BPK.
Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan RI. (2021). KKP tangkap kapal illegal fishing asal Malaysia di Selat Malaka. [https://www.kkp.go.id/djpsdkp/kkp-tangkap-kapal-illegal-fishing-asal-malaysia-di-selat-malaka65c3078164558/detail.html](https://www.kkp.go.id/djpsdkp/kkp-tangkap-kapal-illegal-fishing-asal-malaysia-di-selat-malaka65c3078164558/detail.html)
Lamont, C. (2022). Research methods in international relations (A. Malvern, Ed.; 2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Lee, W. C., & Viswanathan, K. (2020). Framework for managing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in ASEAN. Asian Fisheries Science, 3(1). [https://doi.org/10.33997/j.afs.2020.33.1.008](https://doi.org/10.33997/j.afs.2020.33.1.008)
Medina, D., & Enggriyeni, D. (2022). Peranan Indonesia dalam mewujudkan keamanan maritim di kawasan ASEAN. Nagari Law Review, 5(2), 218–227. [https://doi.org/10.25077/nalrev.v.5.i.2.p.218](https://doi.org/10.25077/nalrev.v.5.i.2.p.218)
Meere, F., & Lack, M. (2008). Assessment of impacts of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Asia-Pacific. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat.
MPA Singapore. (2011). Maritime Singapore Green Plan. Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. [https://www.mpa.gov.sg/web/portal/home/maritime-singapore/green-initiative](https://www.mpa.gov.sg/web/portal/home/maritime-singapore/green-initiative)
Nofrika Sari, M., Legowo, E., Widodo, P., Juni Risma Saragih, H., & Suwarno, P. (2023). Indonesian geostrategy on international maritime transportation in the Malacca Strait. International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies, 37(2), 372–381. [https://ijpsat.org/index.php/ijpsat/article/view/5171](https://ijpsat.org/index.php/ijpsat/article/view/5171)
Oktavian, A. (2023). Penguatan kerjasama ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) dalam penanganan kejahatan lintas negara. Jurnal Birokrasi & Pemerintah Daerah, 5(3), 235–245. [https://doi.org/10.15575/jbpd.v5i3.30281](https://doi.org/10.15575/jbpd.v5i3.30281)
Pandya, A. A., Herbert-Burns, R., & Kobayashi, J. (2011). Maritime commerce and security. [http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep10945.7](http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep10945.7)
Pangestu, A. T. (2020). Illegal fishing di wilayah yurisdiksi Indonesia dalam perspektif hukum internasional, hukum nasional dan hukum Islam: Analisis penenggelaman kapal oleh Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (KKP) periode 2014–2019 [Undergraduate thesis, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah]. [https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/50112/1/ARLEN%20TYAS%20PANGESTU-FSH.pdf](https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/50112/1/ARLEN%20TYAS%20PANGESTU-FSH.pdf)
Pasternak, I., Krap, A., Yastrubetska, L., Grytsyshen, D., & Sergiienko, L. (2023). The role and influence of international organizations in shaping and maintaining international legal order and global general and financial security. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 11(12), e2363. [https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v11i12.2363](https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v11i12.2363)
Popescu, I. (2022). Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. [https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2017/614598/EPRS_BRI(2017)614598_EN.pdf](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2017/614598/EPRS_BRI%282017%29614598_EN.pdf)
Ridho, M., & Sudirman, A. (2020). Signifikansi keamanan maritim di ASEAN. Mandala, 3(1). [https://doi.org/10.33822/mjihi.v3i2.2174](https://doi.org/10.33822/mjihi.v3i2.2174)
Rijal, N. K. (2018). Kepentingan nasional Indonesia dalam inisiasi ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF). Journal Indonesian Perspective, 3(2), 159–179. [https://doi.org/10.14710/ip.v3i2.22350](https://doi.org/10.14710/ip.v3i2.22350)
Shaver, A., & Yozell, S. (2018). Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU). [http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep15848.7](http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep15848.7)
Taylor, M. (1976). Anarchy and cooperation. Wiley.
United Nations. (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf](https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf)
UNODC. (2019). United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto. [www.unodc.org](http://www.unodc.org)
Pevehouse, J. C., & Goldstein, J. S. (2020). International relations (11th ed.).
Withrow, A. (2021). Illegal, unreported, & unregulated fishing overview. American Security Project. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep38513](https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep38513)
Zartman, I. W., & Touval, S. (2010). International cooperation: The extents and limits of multilateralism. [https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511761119](https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511761119)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Owned by the Author(s), published by Berumpun: International Journal of Social, Politics and Humanities
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
