Indonesia's exports of fishery products reached US$1.1 billion in the first half of this year, or 42.3 per cent of the country's whole year's target of US$2.6 billion, an official of the fishery ministry said. 

Exports were dominated by fish fillet as exports of fresh fishes are restricted by the ministry in a bid to support local fish processing industry, Marketing Director Saut P. Hutaglung said. 

Hutagalung described the performance as good, saying he is optimistic the whole year's target would be achieved as demand for processed fish products are strong. 

Exports of shrimp declined in volume but rose in value on higher prices, the newspaper Bisnis Indonesia said

The government has issued a regulation allowing only 14 fish species from Indonesian water territory to be exported directly without being processed in the country.