The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) through the Marine and Fisheries Research and Human Resources Agency (BRSDM) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conducted a study on Fisheries Management and Sustainability of Fish Resources Populations through the IFish project funded by The Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The results of the study were ratified as a Regional Regulation (Perda) by the Government of Sukabumi Regency, West Java. The I Fish project has been involved in Sukabumi Regency since 2018, through demonstration activities for the enlargement of the Anguilla bicolor glass eel. Until now, eel seeds still rely on catching in nature with a very low life expectancy. This condition became the focus of the inland water fisheries management technical working group initiated by the IFish project.
Based on input from the parties, it was agreed that efforts to conserve eel and other inland water biodiversity require a comprehensive policy set forth in the form of a regional regulation.
The ratification of the regional regulation was carried out on Sunday (15/1/2023), in Sukabumi. This regional regulation regulates the integration of governance and the synergy of parties to ensure that inland water resources in Sukabumi Regency can be utilized in a sustainable manner and support community food security.
Periodic data collection conducted by the IFish project since 2021 shows that around 40% of river fish catches are for family consumption in Sukabumi Regency. Another eleven percent is sold as an additional livelihood for the community around the river. This figure shows that rivers and other inland waters are important to support the fulfillment of nutrition and the welfare of the people in the district.
"The wealth of fish resources in the inland waters of Sukabumi Regency must receive attention from all parties, because this district is a strategic route for eel migration. management in the inland waters fisheries sector can be carried out on a long-term basis so that the benefits can continue to be felt by the community," said Head of the BRSDM Fisheries Research Center as well as IFish National Program Coordinator Yayan Hikmayani, in an official statement from the KKP, Wednesday (18/1/2023).
He said his party pays great attention to inland waters in Sukabumi Regency, especially in the management of eel. Because of that, the KKP made the district a pilot area in the management of land fish in Indonesia. It must be admitted that the management of land fisheries has big challenges, so it must be carried out simultaneously starting from the central government, regional governments to business actors from this land fishery.
"Sukabumi Regency is one of the five regions that received the IFish project and in the future it certainly has to be followed up, especially the making of regional regulations on fisheries management so that the development of inland fisheries is further maintained and protected," said Yayan.
Yayan is grateful that the impact of IFish's activities has led Sukabumi Regency to win 3rd place in business innovation in West Java, with the proposal for the Cheap Segmentation Eel Cultivation System (Si Bulat Merah).
"Later there will be a business synergy at BBI (Balai Benih Ikan) Tonjong which comes out as fingerling eels, distributed among household business actors to cultivate fish. The cultivation is interesting because it uses barrels. So it turns out that the eels there grow well. It is hoped that with this method "This can increase household income. And for marketing as buyers, namely Regional Owned Enterprises which will absorb around 20 tons of cultivation results per month," he said.
Not only regional regulations, Yayan hopes that the local government will develop a follow-up to the IFish Project in Sukabumi Regency, such as the demosite activities that have been carried out can continue to be developed and systematically disseminated as a form of capacity building for the community. There is also collaborative work related to fishway construction which can be continuously developed and continuously scaled up so that the benefits can be felt by the wider community.
In addition, there is a participatory data collection and monitoring system related to inland waters that can be continued and improved so that it can continue to provide good and appropriate information as a basis for management and policy. Community involvement is a good form of collaboration and really needs to be continued.
Finally, joint management through the inland water fisheries management working group forum is a big step in collaborative management. These efforts can produce other major achievements in managing inland water fisheries, especially in Sukabumi Regency.
"With these big steps, Sukabumi Regency can become a learning center for inland water fisheries management in Indonesia," concluded Yayan.
Deputy FAO Representative in Indonesia said Ageng Heriyanto, KKP and FAO through the IFish project also facilitated the preparation of the Eel Fishery Management Master Plan in Sukabumi Regency. He hopes that these two policies can create integrated management of inland fisheries, as well as strong synergy between parties in the management and utilization of inland water resources, especially for eel fisheries.
Meanwhile Deputy Regent of Sukabumi Iyos Somantri said, "The formation of strong policies at the district level is very important to support central government programs and policies, especially Presidential Decree No. 87 of 2021 concerning the development of the Southern Part of West Java Province. And also, as one of the steps It is concrete for the local government of Sukabumi Regency to ensure the preservation of ecosystems and local fish populations which have high conservation value and have important economic value. This is of course to ensure the welfare of the people who depend on the utilization of inland water fisheries resources."
Previously, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said that fish resources in Indonesia, including these various eels, needed to be managed responsibly so that they were sustainable and provided prosperity for the eel fishing community. The application of conservation principles and the involvement of various parties in the management of eel resources are expected to provide guarantees for the sustainability of eel resources in Indonesia.
