He received the award at the ICFA 2026 conference in Miri after a career spanning science, government and parliament.
Indonesian scientist and former fisheries minister Rokhmin Dahuri received the Aquaculture Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture, ICFA 2026. The ceremony took place on September 30 in Miri, Sarawak, ANTARA reported. The conference focused on the future of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
Dahuri grew up in the fishing village of Gebang Ilir in Cirebon. According to the ANTARA column’s author, he helped his parents catch, salt and sell fish as a child. He later studied at Bogor Agricultural University, earned a doctorate from Dalhousie University in 1991 and founded a graduate program in coastal and marine resource management at Bogor.
From 1999 to 2001, Dahuri headed the government directorate for coastal and small-island affairs before becoming minister of marine affairs and fisheries. During his tenure, the government launched a national marine development program. The author lists support for coastal communities, fuel stations for fishers, cold-chain infrastructure and hygienic fish markets among its initiatives. The column also says national fisheries output approached 10 million tonnes in 2004, that figure is the author’s account.
After leaving government, Dahuri continued work in professional organizations and research. He has led the Indonesian Aquaculture Society since 2011 and was elected to parliament in 2024, joining its commission responsible for agriculture, fisheries and food.
The biographical column also recounts a 2007 case involving off-budget ministry funds. A court convicted Dahuri and sentenced him to seven years in prison, the Supreme Court later reduced the term to four years and six months. The column’s author, Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf, who describes Dahuri as a friend, says he believes the case was politicized. That is the author’s personal view, not a court finding. Yusuf also recalls that Dahuri continued advising students while imprisoned.
The ICFA award recognizes Dahuri’s long career across academia, public service and industry organizations. The positive character judgments in ANTARA’s column belong to its author and are separate from the biographical facts.