The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has once again suspended the export of lobster seeds, known locally as benih bening lobster (BBL), due to persistent illegal trading activities.

The suspension comes despite the enactment of Ministerial Regulation No. 7/2024, which permitted BBL exports on the condition that foreign buyers invest in domestic lobster cultivation. Under this policy, a Vietnamese investor began operating a farming facility with an annual capacity of 300 million lobsters last year.

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese government, but illegal exports of BBL remain rampant. For that reason, we are halting exports to all destinations,” Tb. Haeru Rahayu, Director General of Aquaculture at KKP, said on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Haeru emphasized that exports will only resume once the government successfully eradicates illegal lobster seed trading. To achieve this, the ministry plans to establish a dedicated Anti-Illegal BBL Task Force.

Earlier, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono reported that the regulation had already attracted Rp60 billion (US$3.7 million) in investment for lobster farming as of May 2024. He also noted that lobsters are abundant in Indonesia’s marine ecosystem, and research in collaboration with universities is being carried out to develop artificial breeding techniques.

Unfortunately, attempts at artificial spawning have not yet been successful, meaning cultivation still relies on natural breeding. “Worldwide, lobster cultivation is still conducted this way,” Trenggono cited.

Indonesia’s lobster exports under the new regulation were primarily targeted at China. According to World Trade Organization (WTO) data, China imported US$257 million (Rp4.1 trillion) worth of lobsters from Indonesia in 2022, mainly rock lobsters, cotton lobsters, and fresh green lobsters.

China remains one of the largest lobster importers globally. Between January and July 2023, its lobster imports reached 32,358 tons, valued at more than US$962 million.

Indonesia itself ranked as the world’s second-largest lobster producer in 2021, contributing 31.59 percent of global production, while Vietnam held the top position with 62.5 percent. Indonesian waters are home to seven lobster species, including the spiny lobster (Panulirus penicillatus), sand lobster (Panulirus homarus), pearl lobster (Panulirus ornatus), bamboo lobster (Panulirus versicolor), painted lobster (Panulirus longipes), Pakistani lobster (Panulirus polyphagus), and red painted lobster (Panulirus femoristriga).