Key Takeaways
- Effective small-scale fishery management requires the active involvement of local fishing communities.
- Fisher networks give small-scale fishers a greater voice at the national level.
In Indonesia, SFP supports local associations that give small-scale blue swimming crab (BSC) fishers a greater voice and role in decision making for sustainable fisheries management.
Support for co-management
With the Indonesian Blue Swimming Crab Association (APRI), we help BSC fishers participate in fishery co-management, at provincial and village levels. We are engaging local fishing communities to generate better compliance with national regulations, use more environmentally friendly fishing gear, and help identify and protect crab breeding areas.
This co-management approach is being piloted in three communities in Central Java (Rembang), East Java (Pamekasan), and Southeast Sulawesi (Pamendati).
National-level participation
We supported the creation of the Indonesian BSC Fishers Communication Forum (Forkom Nelangsa) to provide a mechanism for fishers to share information and participate in national-level decision-making processes for BSC management.
The Forum received formal recognition by the Indonesian government in May 2021. Within several months, Forum members were participating in stakeholder meetings with the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in a review of the national BSC Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
