Discussing small-scale shark fisheries in Indonesia never seems to end. On one side, ecologically, sharks play a crucial role in the ecosystem. However, on the other side, they are a source of livelihood for many coastal communities.
Unfortunately, the generalization of negative stigma has become a daily reality for fishermen with limited alternative livelihoods. This situation is further exacerbated by the lack of scientific data related to sharks’ biological, ecological, or socio-economic aspects, which are crucial in determining the direction of management policies.
This forms the basis of YAPEKA together with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) at IPB University, and the Faculty of Biology at UGM, with full support from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Makassar Coastal and Marine Resources Management Agency (BPSPL), WWF Indonesia, Thresher Shark Indonesia, Mobula Project Indonesia, Elasmobranch Project Indonesia, and the Rekam Nusantara Foundation organizing a workshop with the theme “Small-Scale Shark Fisheries in Indonesia, will they be sustainable?” on Tuesday (Mar. 26).
The event began with a main session moderated by Heri (Independent Fisheries Consultant/Bekal Pemimpin). In this session, Professor Fredinan Yulianda (FPIK IPB University) presented a paper titled “Conservation challenges and management status,” emphasizing the importance of adaptive management.
Dr. Fahmi (BRIN) expressed a similar sentiment when discussing the “Global conservation status of shark species,” assessing the need for effective energy use to regulate shark fisheries, such as strict oversight of entrepreneurs.
At the same opportunity, representing BPSPL Makassar, Permana Yudiarso emphasized ongoing regulations such as quotas, size regulations, reporting, permits, and updates related to species included in Appendix II in his presentation titled “Implementation of shark resource conservation in the Sangihe Islands Regency area,” including hopes for collaboration from various parties.
This was followed by a presentation from Citra Septiani (YAPEKA), attempting to uncover data related to the ecological and socio-economic aspects of shark fisheries in Batuwingkung Village, Sangihe, including the potential for future development as an alternative livelihood from other business models.
Dr. Alin Halimatussadiah (Head of the Environmental Economics Research Group at FEB UI) then responded to this presentation regarding the livelihood switching process for fishermen in an economic context that must involve a long and collaborative process.
The event became more interactive as various NGOs engaged in shark fisheries in Indonesia shared their field experiences in the next session moderated by Widhya N. Satrioajie (Deputy Policy for Development at BRIN/Bekal Pemimpin).
For example, Thresher Shark Indonesia provided incentives such as educational funds to change behavior while breaking the chain of poverty in Alor; Mobula Project Indonesia provided training for fishermen’s wives in Muncar; WWF shared about long-term ecological data initiatives for Thresher Sharks and critical habitat identification in Bali; Elasmobranch Project Indonesia shared efforts in data collection of by-catch commodities and other ecological and social research in Karimunjawa, or Rekam Nusantara shared about the composition of Stingray catches in Rembang dominated by juveniles.
The hope is that this national workshop will begin to encourage collaboration among various parties for fair and sustainable shark fisheries management, integrate long-term scientific data as the basis for policy-making, and consistently promote law enforcement.
One of the follow-up activities from this event will be dissemination and discussions to be held in the Sangihe Islands Regency in May.
The entire series of activities is expected to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially supporting poverty alleviation and promoting decent work and economic growth through sustainable partnerships, especially in coastal and marine ecosystems (SDG 1, SDG 8, SDG 17, SDG 14).
This activity is part of a series of discussions and dissemination activities related to small-scale shark fisheries research in Batuwingkung Village, Sangihe, conducted by YAPEKA over the past year.
The activity is funded by the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) and Conservation Strategy Fund Indonesia (CSF), supported by the Bekal Pemimpin prototype team 3 from United in Diversity (UID).
This research is led by Citra Septiani (YAPEKA), Elisabeth Astari (YAPEKA), and Akbar Reza, who are expert members in the field of ecology as well as staff in the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation at the UGM Faculty of Biology.
This research and workshop are also a form of collaboration between YAPEKA and the Faculty of Biology. YAPEKA research assistants Abiomi Ciptoning Bentali (UNPAD) and Mega Senja Bramh (UB) assist in this research.
Author: UGM Faculty of Biology/Akbar Reza
Editor: UGM Public Relations