KICK OFF: Introducing mini-purse seine data collection to support sustainable fisheries management in Bone, South Sulawesi

On Monday, 10 September 2018, MDPI collaborated with DKP Bone to socialize the new activity of data collection on small pelagic in mini purse seine and tuna in handline vessels in Bone, South Sulawesi. The data collection for mini-purse seine is a new activity for MDPI, where handline data collection has been the focus to date. This expansion is the commitment of MDPI to support government with good data for the small pelagic fisheries management to make sustainable economic, social and ecosystem.

The socialization was attended by 21 stakeholders; fishers, middlemen, vessel owners and DKP Bone. The first session was opened by the head of capture Kabupaten Bone, Andi Sukiman. In the opening, he mentioned that one of the challenges for fisheries data collection in Bone is that it is hard to get the real data from supplier and middlemen. He also added that fish handling in fisher level needs to be improved. Now small pelagic fishers pay more attention to the number of fish rather than quality. As a result, much fish is bad quality and receives a low price. This not only affects economic conditions but also the ecosystem. Many fish that are supposed to be left in the ocean for reproduction are caught as low quality fish, with low price. For this reason, Sukiman hoped that there will be fish handling training to address the problem.

Next, Sukiman discussed about DMC-TCT (Data Management Committee, Tuna-Cakalang-Tongkol) in South Sulawesi. The committee is established as the forum to collaborate among the stakeholder to share information, data, issue related to fisheries in WPP 713. He invited all stakeholder, supplier, fishers and DKP to collaborate in supporting the data collection to provide better quality data, real data and accurate. ‘If all stakeholder collect data, then collect as one big data, it will be really better for fisheries management in order to have sustainable fisheries for the next generation”.

The next session was the introduction of small pelagic data collection presented by Timur, Data Collection Officer MDPI. Some points are the Indonesian regulation of data collection, the objective, and kind of data to be collected. In the discussion session the participants had many question and comment such as the marine pollution toward catch, technology to catch more fish etc. To answer the question surely will not complete by one answer, but the most important is how all stakeholder can collaborate to support the availability of good data as the basic information for sustainable fisheries management.

In the last session, all participants raise hand in one agreement to give access and support for MDPI in starting data collection from mini-purse seine in Bone.

Writer : Putra Satria Timur