In 2023, the Indonesian government announced a groundbreaking new harvest strategy for tuna. The country is responsible for nearly 20% of global catch, and the agreement – made after nearly a decade of collaboration with local, regional and international fisheries stakeholders and scientists– is considered a major step forward for global fisheries sustainability.
But what does it mean for the communities who rely on this resource? In August, I traveled to the country to find out.
At the Walton Family Foundation, we support governments, individual fishers and markets as they adopt sustainable practices. It’s a strategy we believe will ultimately lead to healthier oceans and communities. In Indonesia, this has included a decade-long commitment to helping local and regional stakeholders bring this new harvest strategy to life.
In some areas of Indonesia, I learned the concept of sustainability – and the economic benefits that come with it – are just beginning to take root. In others, a commitment to fair trade practices has resulted in communities transformed.
Mostly, what I took away from the trip was that there is no one “right way” to improve the management of a fishery. But, there is one critical ingredient to success – for foundations and nonprofits engaging in this work, we must meet fishers where they are and build a genuine appetite for sustainability through trust, consistency and results.
Destination: Lombok
After over 24 hours of travel from D.C. through Doha to Bali, a puddle jumper took me to Lombok, “the island of 1,000 mosques.” There, our grantee MDPI met me for our journey to the first village. A volcanic landscape with few roads, I learned quickly that in Lombok, you do not want to get stuck behind a truck on one of the island’s narrow roads.
The village we visited in Lombok is participating in a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) designed to help formalize the various tuna fisheries in the area, collect data and implement best practices.
When the sea is right, fishers catch yellowfin – the most valuable tuna they can catch. In the off-season, they supplement their incomes by catching tongol tuna and octopus. While many of them don’t yet understand they are a part of a FIP, they are all members of cooperatives that provide support to improve their practices. Members of the cooperative, which are almost exclusively managed by the female family members of fishers, also receive financial literacy and business training.
The fishers learn how to identify Endangered, Threatened and Protected species (ETP). Now, more fishermen know how to proceed if they snag a sea turtle. They are learning what size catch is legal, and how to properly handle it. Local businesses are also being trained to properly identify and report the catch that comes in.
Destination: Ambon
We left Lombok en route to Ambon in the Moluccas Islands. A tiny island, Ambon is packed with history. Once ruled by the Dutch, it was the origin point of spices coming from the East. Today, it’s a major fishing hub and home to tuna buyers and processors.
There, we met Pak Robert from Harta Samudra, which owns multiple processing plants. Harta Samudra, together with MDPI, were responsible for establishing the first tuna handline fishery in the world to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Today, Harta Samudra is MSC Chain of Custody-certified, and sources MSC Fisheries- certified tuna. They are a member of AP2HI (the Indonesian Pole & Line and Handline Fisheries Association) that is responsible for the fishery certification and supports several FIPs across the country.
The company has been one of greatest champions of this work. Why? Beyond the environmental benefit, they understand the value of sustainable tuna on the international market.
Pak Robert buys from dozens of villages. Local partners like him make this work feasible over the long term. Harta Samudra has created a mutually beneficial relationship between fisher and buyer, with the understanding that fishers need certain conditions to catch and deliver quality fish.
Through his purchasing power, fishers gain access to international markets. The company also provides some financial assistance associated with getting the fish safely to the facility.
Destination: Seram
From Ambon, we traveled by fast boat over rough seas to the remote village of Tehoru, on the island of Seram. Tehoru is approaching its 10-year anniversary of Fair Trade certification. Fair Trade certification complements MSC certification, and goes one step further to ensure a higher standard of social and economic conditions.
Fair Trade certification comes down to a single reality: that sometimes, even a well-managed fishery is not enough to improve the livelihoods of small-scale fishers, who have other priorities unrelated to fishing. This could be deteriorating roads, inadequate education or future prospects for local children. Fair Trade certification not only requires a sustainable product, but also the improvement of social, economic and environmental conditions over time.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with incredible hospitality by Bapak La Tohia, the leader of the local fisher’s association at his home. Sitting on the floor surrounded by 25 local community members, we learned about the village’s experience under the Fair Trade model.
What struck me was how deeply these fishers knew the rules and their rights. They understand the purpose of responsible management.
In Tehoru, knowledge is power. While they were initially wary of outside groups, over time they have created a collective vision for the future of the village through the benefits that Fair Trade offers. A percentage of each yellowfin tuna brought in – sometimes worth as much as $400 in equivalent dollars – is placed in a community investment fund. The earnings are used to build schools and mosques, launch youth groups and financial literacy courses, and train village women to help collect and report fishing data.
Trust has been the key to success in Tehoru. It took three years of buy-in and training before the village saw any financial benefits. Local partners, including MDPI, were critical in forging these relationships and understanding the specific circumstances that the community hoped to improve.
Final Impressions
To understand just how far Indonesia has come on its sustainability efforts, context is key. The country’s Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs was only formed in 2000. The concept of fisheries management is relatively young. The progress made so far by the Indonesian government in partnership with the Tuna Consortium in recent years should be celebrated. It also offers lessons for other complex global fisheries creating their own sustainability goals.
For sustainable tuna fisheries to thrive here moving forward, the right mechanisms must be in place for data to flow from the boat, to the government and back again. If we want to encourage sustainability over the long term, we need to meet communities at whatever stage they are ready to make positive change. Then we need to provide the tools and support they need to achieve it.
