Posted on December, 15 2015

Dr Mohammad Kamal, an Indonesian fisheries expert, discusses fisheries management in light of his participation in a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) Technical Training Workshop organized by WWF.

Why did you specialize in this field of study? What got you interested in marine resource management?

My main expertise is basically ichtyhyology (the branch of biology devoted to the study of fish), which I have narrowed down, to some extent, into applied taxonomy and fish biology of certain species (from early life to adult stages linked to habitat and environmental changes). This is to better understand the appropriate management methods needed for the sustainability of marine resources. I am also driven to keep updating fishery management methods and tools from basic to advanced levels. At the moment, for example, we are developing tools based on food composition data in order to construct a more holistic food chain model linked to environmental conditions. The model will provide important information for fisheries management.

You recently participated in a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) Technical Training Workshop organized by WWF. How was your experience in this workshop? How useful do you think it was for the participants, and how do you think it will impact on the implementation of FIPs in Indonesia in the future?

I gained much new and useful knowledge from this FIP workshop, especially with regard to certification. We are lacking robust stock assessment data in Indonesia. Fisheries landing data is being questioned in the whole country because of its complexity, reliability, and lack of time series reference points.

The workshop taught me how to deal with the unit of certification, alternative data exploration for poor fishery-dependent data, and the FIP sequencing. Specifically, the training clearly showed me how to do an assessment on the performance of certain fisheries, guided by the principles of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as a prerequisite for sustainable fisheries. Good compliance (shown by scores and colour codes) will bring about a better fishery, and hopefully provide bigger benefits to fishers.

As FIPs deal with the sustainability of fish stocks, environmental impacts, and effective management, this global movement towards sustainable fisheries will also be gradually implemented in my country; hence it will positively impact Indonesian fisheries in the future.  

What local technical capacity, do you think, is important and needed for developing FIPs in Indonesia? What else is needed to strengthen capacity in this field in the Asia-Pacific region?

The most important local technical capacity requirement is the ability, capacity, and willingness of fishers to provide time series data for every species they utilize. Therefore, efforts in developing skills in this matter is very important.

While FIPs can support social and livelihood outcomes, they are being mostly implemented in export-oriented fisheries, where concerns have been raised with regard to social and livelihood benefits. Do you think export-oriented fisheries can support social and livelihood outcomes? What are your views?

Two things to note, and they are related. First, small-scale fisheries in Indonesia are definitely involved in export-oriented fisheries--they are the origin of many export supply chains. Second, one would hope that by being part of an export-oriented supply chain, small-scale fishers will receive higher returns which can be beneficial to their livelihoods. It is important, however, to consider food security issues as well, especially where there is competition between domestic and export markets for certain species. 

The role of FIPs can be very important, especially in terms of applying better fisheries and management practices, based on guidance from the MSC’s principles.FIPs can also be a useful tool to help fishers become more aware of the economic benefits of fishing more responsibly, and the balance between these benefits and the ecological integrity of the fishery resources.

How would you describe the state of Indonesian fisheries today? What do you think is the biggest problem, and the most urgent solutions?

Indonesian fisheries are improving in terms of institutional development from the local (kabupaten/regency), provincial, and national level. The implementation of the Ecosystem-based Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in the country will hopefully be able to accelerate fisheries development. However, the biggest problems are overfishing, poor fishery data, and other socio-economic issues.

What do you think can be the role of FIPs in bringing about more sustainable fisheries in Indonesia--for example, social as well as environmental improvement?

FIPs should be implemented according to the socio-cultural context of coastal communities and fishers. The government should involve local people in all management steps and processes. This promotes ownership among the stakeholders that could guarantee the success of the program and help achieve the goals of sustainable fisheries management.