Harvest Strategy Implement Fisheries Management Action
The pre-workshop and workshop on Fish Harvest Strategy of yellowfin and skipjack tuna in the regional fisheries management areas (WPP) 713, 714 and 715 was held in 19-20th November, 2015 at Benoa Bali. At the opening speech, Dr. Toni Ruchimat, the Director of highlighted the importance of the Indonesian tuna fishery, explaining the economic and social benefits associated: “If we are not active in the management of fisheries, then we may inadvertently solicit long-term damage and could suffer great economic and social loss.” He also stressed the power that effective management can have for creating efficient systems, transparent participation and adaptive decision-making, all aimed at achieving a common goal – long term sustainability.
After the opening speech, Craig Proctor a researcher and tuna fisheries expert from CSIRO did a presentation about the introduction of Harvest Strategies (HS). He explained that HS frameworks determine the actions for managing specified fisheries at the stock or unit level in order to achieve the approved ecological, economic and social aims; the end goal of a harvest strategy is to implement fisheries management which ensures the long-term sustainability of the stock. He further explained that in order to implement a HS, a few aspects need to be agreed: the stakeholder engagement and participation, the technical support to provide analysis and feedback on the performance, and the possible bias or uncertainties related to methods of HS.
“Technical support is needed not only from the stock assessment knowledge, but from all fishery aspects that have impacts on the monitoring of HS assessment,” said Craig Proctor, CSIRO. He also mentioned that feedback is essential for assessment models and advanced harvest control rules (HCR) as it determines the overall performance of the strategy in achieving its goals. Both variables should be continuously adapted to each other. He asserted that the main aim of this interaction is to improve performance goals so that they are more specific and quantitatively measured in order for the HS to be evaluated through modeling simulation (MSE). It is important to make HS with a structured method so that stakeholders know what to expect and what information to collect so that they can start collaborate and learn together along the way.
During the discussion about HS, Dr. Toni Ruchirmat, Director of SDI added, “One of the most important variables in improving the HS is the observers; they perform essential monitoring, to increase data collection needed to support the making of HS.”
He emphasized that “In January 2016 a new regulation will come into force to ensure onboard observers are able to monitor vessels; any vessel above 30GT that refuses an onboard observer may face a penalty, losing its fishing and operational permits (SIPI and SLO).”
Fayakun Satria, Head of Head of Fisheries Research and Development Centre (Puslitbankan) in Jatiluhur, explained the outcomes of the HS workshop result in Vietnam. The conclusion was that there is a general lack of fisheries data in Indonesia, and some improvements are needed. Since AP2HI’s work focuses on collecting data from pole-and-line and handline fisheries, their data could be used to support the general deficiencies. Therefore, the government supported the fishery data collection activities conducted by AP2HI.
Written by: Mila
