Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing and Fishing and Its Impact on Indonesia Artisanal Fisheries

Compared to commercial fisheries, artisanal fisheries do not have the capability to carry a massive scale fishing operation nor comprehensive legal protection. Source of Picture(s): Unsplash

As a maritime country, Indonesia has one of the most extensive sea territories in the world. The maritime sector plays a crucial part in Indonesian economies for many years. In 2020, the sea transportation and fisheries sector, which accounts for 2.79% of the GDP, contributed IDR 48.6 trillion, further emphasizing the significance of the maritime industry (Statistita, 2022a; Statistita, 2020b). However, Indonesia is still unable to maintain the security of its maritime sector from various threats. The presence of non-traditional threats, such as illegal fishing has created a barrier for economic actors to maximize the economic potential of maritime sectors. Artisanal fisheries are one of the maritime economic actors that have a high vulnerability to these existential threats. Compared to commercial fisheries, artisanal fisheries do not have the capability to carry a massive scale fishing operation nor comprehensive legal protection. These particular reasons cause artisanal fisheries to have high vulnerability in terms of security and economic aspects. Furthermore, this article will explore the vulnerability of artisanal fisheries vis-a-vis maritime security dynamics.

In the Indonesian fishing sector, artisanal fishers hold the same importance as their commercial counterparts. Artisanal fisheries have a substantial contribution for fulfilling the domestic fish consumption demands (Statistita, 2020b). Fisheries can be categorized as artisanal if they carry out a fishing operation with traditional equipment and a shipload with a capacity of no more than 10 gross tons (Halim et.al, 2019).  Based on this definition, artisanal fisheries tend not to have the capability to carry out fishing operations far from coastal areas as a result of limited equipment. In the end, the limited capability to navigate has substantially limited the fish catches of artisanal fisheries that only depend on coastal waters.

One of the major threats faced by artisanal fisheries is Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing (IUU F) practices conducted by commercial fisheries. IUU F itself produces a destructive impact on the fishing industries, especially artisanal fisheries.  One of them is overfishing which led to a significant shortage of fish supply for artisanal fisheries. With more modern fishing equipment, commercial fisheries are capable to do a quick and massive fishing operation. However, the use of modern fishing gear and indiscriminate fishing methods could threaten the fish populations. Approximately 30% of the overall catch is discarded back into the sea as waste, as per the records (Dahuri, 2000). In the end, artisanal fishery's fish supply will continue to decrease over time as overfishing become more frequent. Another impact caused by IUU F is environmental degradation in the ocean floor. Underwater ecosystems depend on the condition of abiotic and biotic components to create a suitable place for organisms to live. Underwater environmental degradations directly affect the quantity and quality of the fish. Destructive fishing methods conducted by IUU F practices have damaged a vast area of coral reef in the Indonesia region (Suherman et.al, 2020). These aquatic environment degradations will certainly bring significant economic losses to artisanal fisheries. Therefore, the impacts of IUU F have shown the urgency of an effective policy to overcome its threats.

Indonesia itself has its way of dealing with cases of IUU F in its maritime territories. Just like when Minister Susipudjiastuti conducted securitizations of foreign vessels engaged in IUU F practices. She also formed 115 Task Forces to monitor the situation in Indonesia’s sea territory regarding IUU F. In 2016, Indonesia managed to take action against 1,603 vessels accused of engaging in IUU F (Leonardo dan Deeb, 2022). Nevertheless, coercive measures alone cannot address the problems and impacts of IUU F holistically. A more comprehensive approach is needed, especially in minimizing the impact of IUU F, especially on artisanal fisheries. The first dimension that must be addressed is law enforcement and increasing maritime capabilities. A comprehensive framework is urgently needed as a based for effective collaboration between maritime security institutions to monitor and mitigate IUU F practices. The second aspect is regional corporations, requiring regional level consensus on recognizing IUU F as a transboundary crime. Through this intensive collaboration, a more potent mechanism for addressing the issue of IUU F can be initiated. Finally, strengthening the economy of the coastal community, this policy is an effort to eliminate the vulnerability of coastal communities that are highly dependent on artisanal fisheries. The central government can collaborate with regional governments to support coastal communities and formulate an economic policy to ensure their welfare.

In conclusion, despite Indonesia's reliance on the maritime industry, ensuring its security has remained a challenge. The escalation of IUU F has rendered artisanal fisheries, which represent one of the most significant players in the maritime economy.  The capability of these fishermen makes them unable to compete with commercial fishermen who are involved in IUU F. IUU F also has a significant impact on artisanal fisheries by overfishing and also environmental degradations which results in a decrease in the quality and quantity of aquatic resources. Indonesia itself had carried out securitization of IUU F during the period of Minister Susipudjiastuti, but more comprehensive efforts are needed that focus on law enforcement, international corporations, and strengthening the economy of coastal communities. These three dimensions mutually support each other in reducing the impact of IUU F on artisanal fisheries.

References

Dahuri, R. (2000). Policies and Strategic for Coastal and Marine Resources Development as a

New Source of Indonesia Sustainable Economic Development. ISTECS Journal, 1(1), 1–10.

Halim et.al (2018). Developing a Functional Definition of Small-Scale Fisheries in Support of Marine Capture Fisheries Management in Indonesia. Marine Policy. Accessed on 7 May 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.11.044.

Leonardo, A and  Deeb, N.(2022). Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in

Indonesia: Problems and Solutions. IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Accessed on 7 May 2023, from doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1081/1/012013.

Suherman, A. et.al (2020). The Eradication of IUU Fishing in Indonesia for Fisheries Resources Sustainability by The Task Force 115. AACL Bioflux,  Volume 13, Issue 5. Accessed on 7 May 2023, from http://www.bioflux.com.ro/aacl.

Statista.(2022a). Contribution of Fisheries to The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Indonesia from 2014 to 2021. Statista.com. Accessed on 7 May 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1083946/indonesia-fisheries-contribution-to-gdp/.

Statista.(2022b).Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from Sea Transport in Indonesia from 2014 to 2021.Statista.com. Accessed on 7 May 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1019364/indonesia-gdp-sea-transport/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20preliminary%20figures%20showed,to%2050.36%20trillion%20Indonesian%20rupiah.