Characterizing transhipment at-sea activities by longline and purse seine fisheries in response to recent policy changes in Indonesia

Abstract

Fishing activities are important for food resources and economics globally, with more than 120 million people depending on fishing for their livelihood. Fisheries management, and the related crackdown on illegal fishing has been rapidly evolving in the last several years, particularly in Indonesian waters. This is critically important because of the significant fisheries resources within the region (estimated at more than $2 billion USD per year). The changes in regulations, including a moratorium on foreign vessels and on transhipment by foreign vessels, as well as changes in legislation related to domestic vessel activities means that Indonesia is in the limelight on addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. An expert group identified key behaviours by vessel operators that indicate violations of these regulations, in particular the regulations on foreign and domestic transhipment. In this paper the transhipment indicators in purse seine and long line vessels developed in the workshop are characterised, governance changes are discussed, and the perverse consequences and impacts of new policies that have recently been implemented are highlighted.