The Indonesian government aims to set new strategies for its tropical tuna harvest in order to protect the wild stock in the country. The country has the highest annual tuna harvest globally. Indonesia caught an average of 628,000 metric tons of the fish between 2012 and 2018, as reported by its government. This figure places Indonesia at the top of the list globally.
Indonesia has imposed an interim harvest strategy since 2018, which includes harvest control rules and monitoring for skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in its three fishery management areas (WPP). However, as the country seeks to achieve fisheries sustainability certification in order to meet the growing global demand for eco-labeled seafood, further regulations and strategies are inevitable. One of the examples of the harvest control rules that could possibly be imposed is if the stock in a specific area falls to less than 40% of its unfished level, a fishery manager would impose a closed season of 100 days.
In addition, the country is targeting to expand its longline fishing fleet in the high seas, which is a part of its plan for a world-leading sustainable tuna fishery by 2025. The expansion is part of Indonesia’s efforts to tap into the increased harvest quota granted to the country by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).
(Source: Mongabay)