Print 1996-10-15 Symp on Environmental Aspects Of

Print 1996-10-15 Symp on Environmental Aspects Of

AN ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO MARINE FISHERIES IN INDONESIA Rokhmin ~ahuri' ABSTRACT Although the $she& sector contributes a relatively small share to Indonesian GDP, it plays a substantial role in socio-economic development. Thefisheries sector, 75% of which is marine fisheries, currently provides direct employment to about 3 million people living along the coasts, and generates export earnings of about US$ 1.5 billion. Besides being a primary source of animal protein, fish is akio the most affordable animal protein and is a staple part of the diet of most Indonesian people. Unfortunately over the last ten years soine fisheries resources in many Indonesia's marine waters, especially the Straits of Malacca, the North Coast of Java, the Bali Strait, and the South Coast of Sulawesi, have shown signs of ovefihing, reflected by the constantly declining catch per unit of effort in these areas. There is strong evidence that highfishingpressure is not the only factor threatening the sustainability of marine fisheries resources in these areas; other causes include pollution from both land-and marine-based activities, and degradation of critical habitats for marine biota, such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. This paper presents a critical analysis of the impacts of such environmental threats to the sustainability of IndonesiaL marine fisheries resources and offers alternative bio-technical and institutional approaches to manage these environmentalproblems. 1. INTRODUCTION As Indonesia embarks on its Second Long-tem Development Plan (1993- 2018), the focus of economic development has shiRed to marine and coastal resources. This is reflected in the State Policy Guidelines (GBIIN) 1993, which consider marine and coastal-related development aspects as a sector in itself. Before GBHN 1993, marine and coastal resources were only part of other development sectors. Development focus has shifted fkom terrestrial resourcsbased activities to marine resource-based activities for two main reasons. First, Indonesia is the largest archipelagic state in the world, with 17 508 islands, 81000 km coastline, and 63% (3.1 million km2)of its territorial area covered by marine waters endowed with diverse and rich natural resources. Second, although the pace of development in Indonesia is among the fastest in the world, it still depends heavily on natural resources. As the population increases (expected to reach 276 million by 2020) and terrestrial (upland) resources become scarce or difficult to develop, the role of coastal and marine resources will be more prominent in the Second Long-term Development Plan. --- - Associate Professor, Faculty of Fisheries and Head of Coastal Zone Management Programme, Environmental Research Centre, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia. Fisheries are one of the most promising coastal and marine resources which can be utilized to sustain Indonesian economic development. It has been reported that sustainable potential (MSY) of Indonesia's total marine fisheries resources is about 6.7 million ttyear, and up until now the exploitation rate is only about 47% (Directorate General of Fisheries, 1996). There are an estimated 840 000 ha of coastal areas with potential for brackishwater shrimplfish culture, with only 300 000 ha actually exploited for coastal aquaculture (tambak) (Dana et al., 1996). Endowed with vast areas of relatively calm marine waters, such as bays, shallow waters (Sunda and Sahul shelves), and estuaries, Indonesia also has high mariculture potential, including seaweed, molluscs, crustaceae, finfish, and other marine biota. Mariculture development in Indonesia is still in its infancy. It is logical, therefore, that marine and coastal fisheries have been selected by the Government of Indonesia as a new source of economic growth within the agricultural sector for the Second Long-term Development Period (Minister of Agriculture, 1996). Marine fisheries with their backward and forward linkage industries are expected to provide more employment opportunities, generate higher foreign earnings, supply more protein for the diet of most Indonesians, and increase the standard of living of fishermen and fish farmers. Despite these bright prospects and high expectations for marine fisheries in Indonesia, resources (stocks) themselves in populated and industrialized coastal and marine areas, such as the North Coast of Java, and the Straits of Malacca, have been seriously threatened to the point that endangers their sustainability. The threats can be grouped into three categories: (1) overexploitation of marine fisheries resources; (2) pollution from both marine-and land-based activities; and (3) physical degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, mangroves, and estuaries. The following sections will elaborate the major environmental issues which threaten the sustainable development of marine fisheries in the country, and identify the root causes of the problems. The trend of environmental stresses on marine fisheries resources and their socio-economic consequences on the fisheries sector will also be highlighted. The paper also reviews existing management initiatives by both government and private sectors to tackle such environmental degradation and marine fisheries resource depletion, and finally proposals are made for alternative approaches in addressing environmental threats to the sustainability of marine fisheries resources. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AFFECTING THE FISHERIES SECTOR IN COASTAL AND MARINE AREAS During the First Long-term Development Period, fisheries development had brought about a significant contribution to Indonesian national economic development. Fisheries production increased hm1.16 million t in 1968 to 4.02 million t in 1994, 75% of which came fiom marine fisheries. Export earnings fiom the fisheries sub-sector increased fiom US$ 2.8 million in 1968 to US$ 1.655 billion in 1994, consisting of shrimps (64%), tunarand skipjack (14%), and others (26%) (Directorate General of Fisheries, 1996), The total number of fishermen increased from less than 500 000 in 1968 to about 2 million in 1994, and national per caput fish consumption also increased from less than 7 kg/year in 1968 to 19 kg/year in 1994 (DPP Gappindo, 1996). Yet, there is much to be done in marine fisheries development in order to meet Indonesian people's expectations fiom the fisheries sub-sector, as clearly stated in GBHN 1993 and the Sixth Five Year Development Plan. The contribution of fisheries to GDP is still very low, only about 2%. Most fishermen are still among the poorest social groups in the country. More importantly the sustainability of marine fisheries has been seriously threatened because of stock depletion as a result of overfishing and degradation of coastal and marine habitats which fish and other marine organisms live in. As marine fisheries are essentially a resource-dependent industry, sustainability and viability depend considerably on the sustainability of fish stocks. Environmental stresses which could threaten the sustainability of marine fisheries can be grouped into three categories: (1) over-exploitation of fish stocks, (2) physical degradation of coastal and marine habitats, and (2) pollution. While the impact of fishing on marine fisheries has been studied for some time, it is only recently that attention has been given to observing non-fishing impacts in the coastal zone, including pollution and the degradation of vital habitats (e.g. mangroves and coral reefs), on the sustainability of marine fisheries (Cartwright, 1995). 2.1. Overexploitation of marine fisheries resources While it seems promising that Indonesia has a potential sustainable yield fiom marine fisheries of as much as 6.7 million tiyear which has only been harvested at a rate of 47%, and that marine fisheries production has been increasing over time, these aggregate statistics mask many fundamental problems facing fisheries management. If Indonesian marine fisheries development is considered on a regional and species basis, it is clear that there has been a severe problem in some coastal and marine areas with respect to maintaining the sustainability of marine fisheries. The level of exploitation of marine fisheries has varied fiom one area to another (Table 1). Some coastal and marine areas, such as the Strait of Malacca, the North Coast of Java, the Strait of Bali, have been overfished since the early 1980's (Naarnin and Hardjamulia, 1990; Dwiponggo, 1991). This is because the distribution of fishing activities is highly skewed, with most fishermen, mainly traditional ones, being concentrated in these coastal areas. Furthermore, due to strong international demand and high prices, Penaeid shrimpslprawns have been highly exploited (more than 60% of their MSY level) not only in these coastal and marine areas, but also in other areas including SouthWest and East Kalimantan, East Coast of Sumatra, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, and the Arafira Sea. As the growth of the fisheries sub-sector has primarily (75%) been achieved by increasing the utilization rate of marine fisheries resources, it is estimated that the MSY level of marine fisheries resources in all Indonesian coastaI and marine waters will be reached by the end of the Second Long-term Development Period (2019) (Anonymous, 1992). Such a prediction takes no account of environmental degradation, in the form of water pollution and habitat degradation, which may reduce the productivity and sustainability of marine fisheries resources

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