Illegal fishing threatens the sustainability of future tuna commodities in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia's tuna fisheries sector encounters significant challenges in its development, primarily due to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices that have led to the depletion of tuna stocks. This depletion poses a significant threat to the Indonesian economy, given the key, pivotal role that tuna fisheries play in contributing 2.65% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and accounting for approximately 16% of the world's total tuna production. To highlight the threat, this research employs quantitative data collected from government institutions, supplemented with data from a literature review and analysis of media reports and selected publications that addressed IUU tuna fishing practices in Indonesia. It was noted that (1) illegal fishing practices in Indonesia include crimes against human rights (forced labor and human trafficking), corruption (monetary), and tuna smuggling; (2) unreported fishing practices at tuna fisheries include faulty documents (misreported, unrecorded catches); and (3) unregulated fishing practices at tuna fisheries include catch transshipments by both small-scale and industrial fishing fleets. Decisive law enforcement and active coordination among Indonesian law enforcement authorities, as well as fisher involvement, are factors for successful reduction and control of IUU fishing practices through the Indonesian Ocean Policy (IOP) in Indonesia. The implementation of the IOP to combat IUU fishing could have a transformative effect on the patterns of IUU fishing in Indonesia. Here, we review recent developments in IUU fishing practices, and discuss the opportunities to regulate sustainable tuna fisheries policies in Indonesia.