Jakarta. A multi-stakeholder partnership plays an essential function in propelling Indonesia — one of the world’s leading marine capture manufacturers– towards sustainability, according to the sustainable seafood standards group Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC.
” It is impossible for one to promote sustainable fisheries management alone, considering how huge our fisheries are, not to point out the numerous fishing fleets and fish species,” MSC Indonesia program director Hirmen Syofyanto told the Jakarta World in a recent interview.
” This calls for an integrated partnership among stakeholders,” he included.
But exactly what is a sustainable fishery? By MSC standards, sustainable fisheries are not solely limited to whether the gear used is eco-friendly. To get the MSC blue tick, fisheries should fulfill 3 core principles.
The MSC requires fisheries to keep the fish stocks at a healthy level. And last but not least is ensuring the fisheries management is reliable and complies with the existing regulations.
” Tuna [fishing], for instance, do not just have to fulfill policies provided by the government, however also the regional fisheries management organizations [RFMOs],” Hirmen stated.
Indonesia so far has 3 MSC-certified tuna fisheries, and if combined, the tonnage amounts to about 14,289 heaps, MSC information revealed.
” There needs to be more efforts to drive more Indonesian fisheries towards sustainability and become MSC-certified,” Hirmen said.
The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has inked a memorandum of comprehending on sustainable fishing with the MSC. The federal government has actually revealed its dedication to combat unlawful, unreported, and uncontrolled (IUU) fishing.
MSC is also working carefully with fishery associations, as well as universities in promoting sustainable fishing practices. And with the stakeholders on the exact same page, MSC intends to assist more fisheries get certified.
” As for clients, by buying eco-labeled seafood products, they can encourage fishery [business] stars to meet sustainable standards,” Hirmen said.
Throughout the discussion, Hirmen called the numerous and extremely distributed information as one of the significant barriers in Indonesia’s journey towards sustainable fishery.
” Whether it is the data on fish landings, capture per system effort or the fish catch volume– they are all still highly distributed. […] We likewise require to improve our harvest method for every single species, in addition to collect information according to their types, fishing fleet, and so on,” he informed the World.
According to Hirmen, the fishery sector remains resistant amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with exports revealing a favorable pattern.
Crabs likewise serve as a source of income for numerous ladies employees or moms, Hirmen said.
” Fishery can remain durable to international concerns as long as we handle it sustainably. Fisheries can bring benefits to us if we conserve the resources, secure [the ocean] habitat, and keep [sustainable] fishing practices,” he added.
The Food and Farming Organization (FAO) named Indonesia as one of the world’s leading capture manufacturers. Indonesia’s marine capture production stood at 6.71 million lots in 2018, FAO reported.
Marine and fisheries exports rose by 4.15 percent in January-April 2021, in comparison to in 2015. The overall export worth in the first quarter this year reached $1.75 billion, according to the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.
