First FIP (Fishery Improvement Project) Meeting in 2016
FIP is crucially needed to improve the fisheries towards a more responsible and sustainable fisheries. In May 18th the first FIP-SC (Fishery Improvement Project-Steering Committee) meeting was held and initiated by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) at Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel Bali. MMAF committed that they will fully support the FIP-SC activities and will collaborates with NGOs, academia and fisheries association to establish a well develop national tuna action plan.
Therefore, the FIP-SC has recently been formed officially by Directorate of Fisheries Resources, Mr. Toni Ruchimat, through a decree, and this FIP-SC will specially focus in pole & line and handline fisheries. Stakeholders who are in FIP-SC are Directorate of Fisheries Resources – MMAF, Research and Development-MMAF, SDI-DJPT, Directorate of Fishing Port-MMAF, AP2HI, MDPI (Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia), WWF Indonesia, ANOVA, IPNLF (International Pole & Line Foundation), TNC (The Nature Conservancy) Indonesia, SFP (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership) and Universitas Diponegoro.
In accordance of the FIP program, AP2HI has always work hand-in-hand with MMAF, through data submission from AP2HI data into MMAF database named R-VIA, and on-board observer deployment at fishing vessels of AP2HI members. FIP program from AP2HI aims to achieve the eco-label certification or MSC (Marine Stewardship Council), which is still on progress and to achieve this, it needed the documentation procedure of national tuna action plan from MMAF.
The output of the first FIP-SC is an outline matrix put together by stakeholders. This matrix will be the guideline for stakeholders in working towards FIP for pole & line and handline. Two important outputs that all stakeholders should be focusing are supporting activities for tuna harvest strategy development and collaborating with PSDKP-MMAF in analyzing fishing compliance review for fishing practices in Indonesia. FIP-SC stakeholders had agreed to meet once every two months to discuss the milestones from each progress of the outline matrix.
Written by: Mila