Indonesia’s handline and pole-and-line tuna fisheries are on course to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification within one to two years, according to one of the country’s leading fisheries officials.
“Things are progressing very well, thanks to our association with the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and the work of the pole and line and handline association (Asosiasi Perikanan Pole & Line dan Handline Indonesia or ‘AP2HI’). We have an FIP (fishery improvement project) review coming up in a couple of weeks that should enable us to benchmark just how far we have come in the last few years and determine how close we are to meeting the MSC’s criteria,” said Saut P. Hutagalung, the Republic of Indonesia’s director general for fisheries product processing and marketing at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF).
Indonesia’s pole-and-line and handline sectors collectively produce around 120,000 metric tons (MT) of tuna per year.
Andrew Harvey, IPNLF country manager for Indonesia, told SeafoodSource that one of the “big issues or question marks” to date has been control rules and setting target reference limits for the fishery as a whole. But he added that there has been “a really strong commitment” from the ministry and the Capture Fisheries Department to having harvest control reference limits in place by the end of this year for yellowfin and skipjack.
“We [the IPNLF] are bringing a lot of support in to help establish these limits – international experts and international scientists – and we have a large workshop next month – actually the week before the International Coastal Tuna Business Forum (ICTBF) – that will delve into the modeling and data, and will work with us and the ministry to see what the data is telling us and what is appropriate for the fishery.
“However, this can’t happen in Indonesia alone. What Indonesia is doing must align with things on a broader [Regional Fishery Management Organization] level and this creates an opportunity, with Indonesia making so much progress and having the goal to set limits by the end of this year, to take its rightful place as a leader within the RFMO and to ensure that what’s happening within that organization reflects Indonesia’s aspirations.
“So while harvest controls are a big issue within the context of MSC, I am confident that we can resolve this within a reasonable time frame,” said Harvey.
Traceability is another important issue with regards to Indonesia’s pole-and-line industry and again progress is being made. More than 40 of Indonesia’s pole-and-line catching and carrying vessels are now listed with Indonesia’s Vessel Registry and Harvey said this will be the basis of a traceability system that will enable the supply chain to crosscheck records of landings, fishing trips, building and exports right the way back to the vessel of origin.
Beyond its tuna industry, Indonesia has also introduced regulations for smaller boat operators catching products such as lobster and crab. New measures include a rule on minimum landing sizes and a ban on landing egg-bearing females.
Hutagalung hopes that by the end of this year a number of Indonesia’s other fisheries will be in a position to proceed with MSC accreditation and said that FIP reviews will illustrate which species and gear are the closest to that aim.
“Further to the certification, a traceability system will be developed and put in place to ensure that the products also meet customers’ expectations,” he said.
Not only is Indonesia is one of the world’s most important sources of seafood, the country also tops the FIP chart for fishery improvement projects, said Jim Cannon, CEO and founder of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).
“There are more FIPs and aquaculture improvement projects in Indonesia than anywhere else in the world. That’s a good reflection upon the industry because most of these projects are industry-led,” said Cannon. “And the fact that they are industry-led makes it very scaleable, it means that many more can be done.
“I would like to thank the minstry for all its support. It has put its money and great effort into this and I am delighted that this leadership is getting recognition from retailers in both the United States and Europe.”
Indonesia’s fourth annual ICTBF is being held in Bali on 26-27 May.
