A series of activities have been conducted since Oct. 2021 including building data collection capacity among fisheries actors. Photo credit: Rekam Nusantara Foundation

Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus Pelagicus or locally known as rajungan) is one of the priority fisheries commodities in Indonesia. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) 2017 data said that BSC utilization in Java Sea (Fisheries Management Area 712) has reached overfishing level. A 2019 data show that BSC production dropped to 110 524 tonnes from 269 795 tonnes in 2017. Promoting sustainable BSC utilization and fisheries management is urgently needed to restore its stocks and habitats. This requires availability of quality data for evidence-based BSC policies and programs. 

For a systematic approach to improve BSC data quality and collection skills, MMAF and FAO initiated in Oct.2021 a series of intensive data-related activities, including trainings, stakeholder consultations and technical assistance. This activity is piloted in Tambak Polo hamlet in Purworejo village, Demak regency, Central Java. The activity is part of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) intervention under the Indonesian Seas Large Marine Ecosystem (ISLME) project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The activity, conducted by Rekam Nusantara Foundation, aims to ensure quality data availability to support BSC resources management and Harvest Strategy implementation in FMA 712, along the northern Java sea, that contributed 47 percent of total national BSC production.

Findings presented by Rekam researchers show that ensuring availability of quality data requires sound data collection and validation skills, close stakeholders collaboration, development of data and information system with skilled human resources; and building fisheries actors awareness on the importance of data and compliance to regulations and policies related to sustainable fisheries and reporting. The study findings show that BSC fisheries in Central Java is now in stable condition.

“BSC data collection should be conducted continuously as part of the practice and in close collaboration with MMAF, Marine and Fisheries Offices in Central Java province and Demak Regency level and strong involvement of the private sector represented by BSC Management Association (APRI), I/NGOs and academia,” said researcher Mr. Budy Wiryawan on 25.02 in his presentation.

Data collected is based on the data reporting needs in logbook and harvest strategy, including fisheries management performance indicators (Spawning Potential Ratio, Length Distribution, and Catch Size Selectivity according to Size Distribution); the limit and target reference point; fishing location, boat sizes, types of fishing gears, catch per unit effort and fishing activities, among others.

ISLME Regional Coordinator Muralidharan ChavakatManghat stressed the importance of systematic data collection and consolidation from different sources: such as industry, fishermen, academia, etc to ensure the quality of data collected but also to take care to avoid data duplication. “We may work with the stakeholders to look at the improvement of BSC condition recently: what caused the improvement: is it management, or better compliance or reduced efforts, we need to understand the latest condition in BSC fisheries to make informed policies decisions,” Mr. Muralidharan explained.