Marine Pollution and Fishermen’s Rights: A Socio-Legal Examination of Coastal Environmental Law in Indonesia

Abstract

Marine pollution has become a critical environmental and socio-legal issue in Indonesia, particularly affecting coastal communities whose livelihoods depend on fisheries. According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, approximately 38% of Indonesia’s coastal waters are moderately to heavily polluted, with plastic waste contributing nearly 0.48–1.29 million metric tons annually to the ocean (World Bank, 2021). This pollution directly impacts fishermen: data from the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI) shows that average daily catches in North Java declined by 26% between 2015 and 2022, largely due to degraded marine ecosystems. From a legal perspective, Indonesia has enacted Law No. 32/2009 on Environmental Protection and Management and Law No. 7/2016 on the Protection and Empowerment of Fishermen, yet enforcement remains fragmented. Field studies in Central Java reveal that over 60% of fishermen surveyed were unaware of their legal rights to compensation or remediation, highlighting a gap between formal regulation and social reality. This socio-legal disconnect underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and participatory governance in coastal law enforcement. The study argues that effective coastal environmental law requires not only regulatory clarity but also mechanisms that ensure fishermen’s rights are protected through traceable accountability systems, community-based monitoring, and accessible legal remedies. By integrating socio-legal analysis with empirical data, this paper demonstrates that marine pollution is not merely an ecological crisis but also a justice issue, where the failure to align law with social realities risks perpetuating inequality and eroding trust in institutions.