It would, if it worked. If it didn't, it would waste money.

Does it stack up?

Indonesia has the world's fourth-largest coastline. Its fishing industry employs 6 million people. Fishing accounts for 5 per cent of its GDP. In 2004 the United Nations counted 729,682 boats in Indonesia. That number has risen.

Dr Sam Bateman, a retired Australian Navy commodore now at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security, says it's not "a particularly bright idea".

"It is so open to abuse. What is a fair price for a boat?" he asks.