The fisherfolk communities celebrate World Fisheries Day every year on November 21 throughout the world. This day is celebrated through rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural programs, dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight the importance of maintaining the world's fisheries.

In celebration of this year’s World Fisheries Day, many organizations in the world, including in Indonesia, are focusing their attention to small-scale fishers.

As an archipelagic country, Indonesia has a large maritime zone of almost 6 million square kilometers with a coastline more than 81,000 km long. Its largest marine capture fisheries are eastern little tunas, skipjack tunas and tunas.  Indonesian inland open water capture fisheries are mostly snakehead murrel, shrimp, mozambique tilapia, and common carp.

Data revealed by Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries showed the number of fisherfolks in Indonesia as 2,620,277 people.  Most of the fisherfolks are relatively poor.

This condition, according to the Indonesian Maritime Institute are due to some issues faced by traditional fishers such as the high cost of fuel, illegal fishing, limited capital, high operation cost, climate change and inadequate policies.

The Center for Oceans Solutions stated that artisanal and small-scale fisheries are vitally important to most coastal communities for livelihoods, food security and cultural heritage. They provide an important source of protein, products for local markets and employment in harvesting, gathering and post-landings processing, distribution and marketing activities.

The Center, with other organizations such as the World Fish Center, marked the world fisheries day by highlighting research on small-scale fisheries and their role in improving livelihoods, social resiliency and food security, with special attention paid to women in the fisheries industry and their importance in reducing poverty.

KIARA, the People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice Indonesia with KTNI, an organization of Indonesian farmers and fishermen, celebrated the day by planting mangroves in an area of 300 ha, part of 1200 hectares damaged by oil palm plantation in North Sumatra. Another event was an outdoor campaign in Hotel Indonesia roundabouts in Central Jakarta.

Through these actions KIARA and KTNI are reminding the public and the government in particular to seriously preserve fisheries resources for the welfare of traditional fisher folks.

ANTARA News reported  a recent focus group discussion attended by government officials and researchers. Fisherfolks in Indonesia, as discussed in the focus group, should be supported by adequate information. Such information includes satellite data, weather, and the number of vessels in operation. Counselors should be on hand to give explanations to the fishers’ communities. Another important information is market potentials in certain countries such as types of fish preferred by consumers.

A study published in Environmental Science and Policy provided a bleak insight into Indonesia’s situation. The study developed a national-level vulnerability index that is specific to food security policies by measuring nations’ relative vulnerabilities to a decline in their coral reef fisheries. The vulnerability measure was composed of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indicators specific to fisheries, reef management, and food security. The vulnerability index that was used to evaluate 27 countries pointed to Indonesia and Liberia as most vulnerable nations.

Fish is an important part of diets for those who live near rivers, coasts and other water bodies. As such, the world fisheries day with all activities carried out around the world should not only focus on fisheries problems but also on options for solutions.

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Images: Omar Niode Foundation