Socioeconomic and institutional factors affecting the sustainable development for fisheries in Bontang City, Indonesia

Abstract

Coastal fisheries development in Bontang City is very complex and its sustainability is challenging. This paper is aimed at: (1) investigating socioeconomic and institutional factors affecting sustainable fisheries development in Bontang; (b) understanding livelihoods complexities for sustainable development of fisheries. This study applied actor-oriented approach of development sociology to witnessing the dynamics of fisheries livelihoods and to capture everyday life of social actors at individual and institutional levels. Field research to collect data was conducted during April and July 2018 in the fishers’ villages and government offices in Bontang. Results showed that social identities and fishers’ way of life play an important role in fisheries development. In addition, the local institution named patronage system create and limit fishers’ behaviour related to social relations with their patrons. Marine Spatial Planning process created by the city government seems ineffective in managing coastal resources in a sustainable basis. Fisheries livelihoods are complex and constructed from contestations of values, knowledge and interests of various social actors including fishers, fish traders, external entrepreneur, government staff, and NGO practitioner. It is concluded that to achieve sustainable development for fisheries in Bontang it is important to incorporate and understand livelihoods complexities of different individual and institutional actors in the policy making process.