6/2002: Indonesia and Australia to work together to improve tuna fisheries management

MEDIA RELEASE

Improving Indonesian and Australian tuna fisheries management

The Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Mr Rokhmin Dahuri and Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Richard Smith today signed a cooperative Indonesian-Australian project agreement aimed at improving the management of tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean.

Little is currently known about the status of Indonesia’s tuna fisheries, making long-term planning for sustainable tuna fisheries difficult.  Without accurate information on total catch it is difficult to develop effective strategies, as changes in stock numbers that can indicate overfishing, and other key factors, often do not become apparent until numbers reach dangerously low levels.

The project, which will review tuna fisheries stock and monitoring, is being funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).  Research will be carried out by scientists from Indonesia’s Research Centre for Capture Fisheries and Bogor Agricultural University and Australia’s CSIRO Division of Marine Research. 

Scientists and administrators from Indonesia and Australia will work together to undertake an overall assessment of Indonesian tuna fisheries, including a review of existing data collection systems.  Data collection and stock assessment through monitoring of catches in Benoa in Bali and Muara Baru and Cilacap in Java will also be undertaken.  The scientists will monitor long-line fleets based in these ports and develop a system for collection, storage and analysis of all catch data.

The project also aims to further build local capacity by enhancing the skills of Indonesian scientists and administrators, allowing effective monitoring and data collection to continue.  This will involve significant Indonesian and Australian scientific collaboration as teams are established to collect data and implement systems developed through the course of the project.

“This project represents another aspect of the substantial cooperation between Indonesia and Australia over the past 20 years to improve management of fisheries resources.  Through scientific and administrative cooperation the sustainable management of key fisheries is increasingly possible, both now and in the longer term,” said Ambassador Smith.

Effective management of shared Indian Ocean tuna fisheries is also vital to allowing Indonesia to meet its obligations under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention.

This project is one of a group of projects in ACIAR’s Fisheries program designed to progress wild capture and aquaculture systems in Indonesian and shared fisheries.