25-26 January 2015, Bali, Indonesia

(From left to right) Nanda Godjali- MDPI Fishery Associates; Wiro Wirandi- MDPI FIP manager; Helen Packer- Fishing & Living/ANOVA US; Agus Budhiman- AP2HI Secretariat; Tita Nopitawati- AP2HI FIP Manager; Momo Kochen- MDPI Director of Programs and Science

Fishing & Living meets with partner NGO Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia (MDPI), the Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and the Pole & Line and Handline Fisheries Association (AP2HI- Asosiasi Perikanan Pole and Line dan Handline Indonesia) to review FIP progress and plan for next steps.

During the 2-day long meeting, the progress of the Handline FIP and the Pole & Line FIP were presented by Wiro Wirandi (MDPI FIP manager) and Tita Nopitawati (AP2HI FIP manager), in preparation for the annual FIP review conducted by independent consultant, Richard Banks (planned for May 2015). The meeting also addressed new projects related to data collection and vessel registration; and new collaborations with the IPNLF, International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF) and AP2HI.

The Handline FIP has been making considerable progress in terms of data collection activities, formation of fishermen association and development of local fisheries management group (locally called Data Management Committee- DMCs).

Data Collection- MDPI manages data collection activities in 10 sites across Indonesia. MDPI enumerators collect scientific data on catch, by catch, ETP interactions, fishing grounds, fuel and ice use. The data is then collated in a national database called I-fish. MDPI is also closely working with local traders and processors as well as the national observer program to conduct observer trips on handline (and Pole & Line) vessels in 2015.

Fishermen associations are formed as part of the on-going FairTrade program but also directly contribute to building capacity for local fisheries management. In 2014, 4 new fishermen associations were formed bringing it to a total of 8 fishermen association and 180 fishermen. MDPI is planning on supporting the formation of 12 new fishermen associations (approximately 300 fishermen) in 2015.

DMCs or local fisheries management groups are important as they bring together local fisheries authorities, universities, scientists, traders and processors, fishermen and NGOs to collaborate on the management of sustainable fisheries. There are currently 2 DMCs (in South and Eastern Indonesia). DMCs meet twice a year. Two additional DMCs will be formed in the first half of 2015.

Other important developments and activities:

Harvest Control Rules Workshop: A Harvest Control Rules workshop was conducted in October 2014. The workshop defined the current gaps in Indonesia’s fisheries management and next steps to improve current regulations.

Improving Fisheries Information and Traceability for Tuna: MDPI is working on a traceability improvement project called Improving Fisheries Information and Traceability for Tuna (IFITT). The project is a partnership between MDPI, ThisFish and Wageningen University to pilot a consumer facing traceability technology whilst developing a information rich database system accessible to all stakeholders under selective viewing options. MDPI is also in dialogue with Future of Fish and The Nature Conservancy on potential collaboration for this project.

AP2HI: The Handline and Pole & Line fishing association (AP2HI), formed in April 2014, aims to bring together Handline and Pole & Line producers to 1) have a united voice to the government 2) increase capacity for the promotion of handline and pole & line tuna on the market 3) support industry innovation such as FIP implementation and MSC certification 4) Facilitate partnership between importers, processors and local traders. Tita Nopitawati, AP2HI’s FIP manager, is responsible for bringing more company on-board and monitoring AP2HI members for their compliance with AP2HI Code of Conduct, which includes cooperation and participation in FIP improvement activities.

New Minister of Fisheries: Susi Pudjiastuti took office in October 2014 as the new minister of fisheries, under the new Indonesian president Jokowi’ Widodo. Mrs. Susi is taking drastic measures to improve and protect the sustainability of Indonesian fisheries. The three objectives of the ministry are now Sovereignty, Sustainability and Prosperity. Here is a summary of the regulations recently put in place pertaining to capture fisheries:

• Prohibition of trawls and seine nets in all Indonesia waters with the intent to protect depleted resources.
• Prohibition of fishing in breeding and spawning grounds within certain areas and at certain times of the year.
• Suspension of issuance of fishing licenses for all Indonesia for vessels that were constructed abroad.
• Prohibition of export of oceanic white tip and hammerhead sharks from Indonesia.
• Prohibition of transshipment at sea, if the intent is to land the catch out of Indonesia’s EEZ

PVR Pilot for small scale fisheries: Related to the IFITT project is a new collaborative project between IPNLF, AP2HI, MDPI, ISSF and 50-in-10 for piloting ISSF’s Pro- Active Register for small-scale fisheries (Handline and Pole & Line).

FIP Steering Committee: MDPI, AP2HI, Anova, IPNLF and other key FIP stakeholders will hold the first FIP steering committee meeting in March 2015. The role of the FIP steering committee will be guide FIP progress and set priorities for improvement activities.