By: Fransiska Sonya Puspita & Faridz Rizal Fachri - Capture Fisheries

Harvest control rules (HCR) is an important tool in modern fisheries governance that is one of the requirements of fisheries management that must be carried out in meeting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel certification standards. WWF-Indonesia together with the Faculty of Marine and Fisheries (FKP) Universitas Airlangga has conducted a study of HCR through reconstruction of fishing in the waters of Sidoarjo Regency.

The results of the HCR study show that the status of the feather clam stock in Sidoarjo Regency is in an overfished condition. There are two scenarios for the utilization of feather clams to restore healthy stock conditions, namely controlling input by regulating the number of fishing gear units dredges and controlling output by regulating the catch. In controlling input, it is recommended to regulate fishing effort by 250 units/year so that by 2023 clam stocks can return to a healthy status. Meanwhile, the control of output is done by maintaining the catch of 5285.81 tons/year so that the condition of coral stocks can return to a healthy status in 2025.

"Fulfillment of fishery product standards in fulfilling the export market both in terms of food safety and product traceability is an important thing to fulfill in line with the increasing global market demand for environmentally friendly and sustainable products, of course MSC certification is one of the common reference standards" said Mrs. Yiyik Windah Yulianti, Section of Processing and Marketing of Marine and Fishery Products / P3KP, DKP East Java Province, in her speech.

The dissemination of the results of the HCR study and public consultation on the utilization plan of the feather clam commodity in Sidoarjo Regency was carried out on September 11, at the Halogen Hotel, Sidoarjo at the joint initiation of the stakeholders involved, including: East Java Provincial Marine and Fisheries Office (DKP), Sidoarjo District Fisheries Office, Sedati Sub-District Head, Airlangga University FPK Academics, Sidoarjo DPC of the Indonesian Fishermen Association (HNSI), Fisheries Extension Workers, Sari Laut-Banjar Kemuning Fishermen Association, East Java Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI) and WWF-Indonesia.

Mr. Slamet Budiono, Head of Fish Resources Management Section, DKP East Java Province, stated that DKP East Java Province will encourage and support the management and utilization of clam commodities with the recommendations from the HCR study that has been carried out. To support this management, stakeholders agreed to encourage three main points of activity, including: 1) Improved implementation of governance, starting from the agreement of the Sari Laut Fishermen Association and Banjar Kemuning Village in the practice of clam fishing, to together with relevant stakeholders overseeing the HCR study and the feather clam utilization plan through scientific panels in WPP 712 (especially East Java waters), 2) Collaborative scientific research addressing MSC principles, and 3) Assistance/empowerment of fishermen.

Another result of HCR's analysis states that in order for feather clam stocks to remain sustainable in the future, good governance is needed from all parties. Otherwise, it can be predicted that fishermen in Sedati will lose the potential catch of approximately 159.5 tons / month or the equivalent of 340 - 561 million / month as fishermen's income (Data logbook of catches January - July 2017, Sari Laut Fishermen Association, Banjar Kemuning, Sedati, Sidoarjo).

HNSI DPC Sidoarjo hopes that the practice of fishermen assistance can be replicated with other fishermen groups in Sidoarjo Regency in particular, so that management participation towards sustainable shellfish resources in the future can be realized. (Download: Regulation of HCR Dissemination and Public Consultation on Feather Shell Utilization Strategy in Sidoarjo Regency)