Creating Waves of Impact with USAID Ber-IKAN

by Fransisco Situmorang

The water of Eastern Indonesia hailed as our “National Fisheries Hub”. The region is abundant with marine resources and the backbone of Indonesia’s tuna sector. This region includes the Molucca Sea, officially managed under Indonesia’s Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 715. Safeguarding these resources is a shared responsibility between the Indonesian government and fisheries stakeholders.

 

Map of FMA 715, consisting of Molucca Sea, Halmahera Sea, Ceram Sea, Tomini Bay, and Barau Bay.

As an implementing partner of the USAID Ber-IKAN project, MDPI supports the project in promoting sustainable fisheries in FMA 715. USAID Ber-IKAN is a collaborative project between the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) and USAID Indonesia, running from 2022 to 2027.

The project employs socio-economic approaches and emphasizes Legal, Reported, and Regulated Fishing to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks in FMA 715. It actively collaborates with coastal communities and fisheries stakeholders in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, Maluku, and North Maluku provinces.

Implementation of the approaches through three main activities: capacity building for coastal communities, registration of small-scale vessels, and improving fisheries data through logbook and e-Logbook use.

Empowered Fishers Empower Community

MDPI facilitated capacity-building programs for two cooperatives: Tuna Tomini Bersehati in Tanjung Kramat District, Gorontalo, and Nusa Kamu Bersama in Kawa Village, Maluku.

Cooperative training in Tanjung Kramat District, Gorontalo. © USAID

This activity, conducted twice, focused on five areas: organizational management, financial management, sustainable fisheries practices, climate change adaptation, and financial literacy for cooperative members. A total of 59 participants—31 men (53%) and 28 women (47%)—attended the training.

To ensure good governance practices, USAID Ber-IKAN and MDPI assisted the Annual Member
Meeting for Tuna Tomini Bersehati and Nusa Kamu Bersama. Sarpan Ahaya, a member of Tuna Tomini Bersehati, noted the significant impact of the training, which enhanced his understanding of organizational management, saving principles, income recording, and household financial planning.

Through the support of USAID Ber-IKAN alongside MDPI, cooperatives were assisted in drafting key documents, including the cooperative’s bylaws, revenue and expenditure budget, and many more. These will be ratified in the second Annual Meeting of the cooperative.

After completing training and assistance, the Tuna Tomini Bersehati Cooperative has successfully launched a tuna trading business in July 2024. By August 8, 2024, the cooperative earned IDR 1,014,000 (USD 62) of profit, benefiting the members.

“Cooperative has helped improve our family’s income and fostering strong relationship of our community. Despite limited resources, our cooperative’s operations are running well,” Sarpan added.

Fisher’s Compliance for Fisheries Data

In a concerted effort to bolster compliance and the sustainable management of small-scale fisheries in Indonesia, USAID Ber-IKAN alongside MDPI trained fishers to submit their catch data in simplified logbooks and e-Logbooks. This activity was conducted in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, Maluku, and North Maluku, attended by a total of 353 small-scale fishers in May 2024.

USAID Ber-IKAN Project Map.

This initiative successfully facilitated the reporting of data from 344 vessels, totalling 2,101 fishing trips and 128,851.2 kg of catch, through both logbook and e-Logbook. The data will contribute to Indonesia’s need in sustainable fisheries management and policymaking.

For small-scale fishers, the data collection effort has been invaluable, enabling them to monitor and project their annual catch. Their data also contributes to supporting the Government in fisheries management.

“The logbook initiative from USAID Ber-IKAN has greatly helped us understand our catch from each trip and compare it with fish stocks year by year. We proudly assist the government in making informed decisions about sustainable fisheries management,” said Yadi Bustan, a fisher from Kawa, Maluku.

Vessel Registration for Smooth Operation

To register their vessels, small-scale fishers need to report their vessels’ measurements to the local authority. © USAID

MDPI facilitated the registration of boats under 5 GT as part of the USAID Ber-IKAN project. The goal was to ensure the legal documentation of small-scale fishing vessels, aligning with government  regulations, particularly those related to the Measurable Fishing policy. The initiative targeted five districts: Tanjung Kramat, Pohe, and Leato Selatan in Gorontalo, and Huangobotu and Olele in South Sulawesi.

During the first quarter of 2024, technical assistance sessions were held with 176 participants, comprising 150 men (85%) and 26 women (15%). Following this assistance, the Port Authority issued 154 electronic small-scale vessel documents to the owners. Fishers expressed gratitude for the program, which provided clarity on the registration process, enabling access to subsidized fuel.

“USAID Ber-IKAN has been instrumental in helping us with vessel documentation. We had no idea
how to manage this before, and it’s essential for obtaining subsidized fuel. I hope this project continues to reach more fishers,” said Wani Mustafa, a small-scale tuna fisher in Gorontalo.

USAID Ber-IKAN and MDPI will continue to assist small-scale fishers in the project’s operational areas. The project has proven vital in enhancing small-scale fisheries governance and increasing market incentives for sustainable fishery products. Over 500 small-scale fishers have benefited directly through cooperative capacity-building, vessel registration, and fisheries data collection efforts.