The International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF) is joining forces with WWF-Australia and Simplot Australia to develop sustainable baitfish fisheries in three regions of Indonesia.
The eight-month initiative will see fisheries set up in Nusa Tenggara Timur, North Maluku and West Papua provinces in Indonesia, where small pelagic fish are used in human consumption and as bait in pole-and-line tuna fisheries.
“This collaboration represents a hugely important investment in Indonesia’s future,” said Andrew Harvey, country director for Indonesia, IPNLG. “By contributing to the sustainability of Indonesia’s bait fisheries, we are also working to protect livelihoods and an important source of food for the people of Indonesia.”
Indonesia is the largest tuna-producing nation in the world, and market demand for certified sustainable pole-and-line caught tuna is growing. This new initiative will implement monitoring and research, increasing the scientific data available for sustainable management planning, as well as assist fishing operators to improve baitfish handling and storage.
IPNLF says sustainable management of bait fish stocks used in these fisheries will safeguard this critical resource, and secure Indonesia’s position as a world-leading producer of sustainable pole-and-line tuna products.
WWF-Indonesia has a long-standing working presence in Nusa Tenggara Timur through both baitfish monitoring and the development of a WWF supervised enumerator programme and a number of potential improvements have already been identified. The project supports the development and advancement of a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for these tuna fisheries which ultimately, it is hoped, will lead to assessment for MSC-certification.
