Author: Buguh Tri Hardiyanto (Capture Fisheries Assistant, WWF-Indonesia)

According to data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) in 2012 related to the export of Indonesian fishery products, shrimp was ranked as the most sold fishery commodity to foreign countries. This shows that shrimp is a fishery commodity with high economic value.

In the early 1960s, shrimp fishing with trawl gear was widely practiced in Tanjung Balai and Asahan, North Sumatra. The development of trawling gear quickly spread to the north coast of Java Island and the Arafura Sea. This is because the gear is considered to have the highest effectiveness for catching shrimp. However, in 1980, the Government of Indonesia issued Presidential Decree No.39 of 1980 which banned trawling and fishing activities using this gear in Indonesian waters, because it was considered very damaging to habitats and ecosystems. The policy caused shrimp production to decline dramatically. Until finally, in 1982, the use of trawling was replaced with trawling (trawl). Trawling is actually almost the same as trawling, except that its use is more regulated, such as the size of the mesh and the use of Fish Separation Equipment (API).

The use of trawl gear in catching shrimp still has a negative impact on habitats and ecosystems. This is evidenced by the decline in shrimp stocks in Indonesia, which is stated in the Decree of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries No. 45/2011, which states that shrimp commodities are categorized as over-exploited fishery commodities (overexploited) in 11 Indonesian Fisheries Management Areas (WPP). To address the problem, in 2015, the MMAF issued Ministerial Regulation No.2 regarding the prohibition of the use of helicopter trawl and drag trawl fishing gear (sein nets) in Indonesian WPPs. With this regulation, it is hoped that there will be a natural recovery of natural resources that have suffered damage or population decline due to environmentally unfriendly fishing practices.

In support of sustainable fisheries practices in Indonesia, WWF-Indonesia released Better Management Practices (BMP), Small Scale Fisheries Guidance Series, Environmentally Friendly Shrimp Fishing with triple net gear (trammel net). This BMP is one of the capture fisheries guidelines compiled by the WWF-Indonesia Fisheries Team and published in 2015.

The Shrimp Fishing BMP that can be used by fishermen contains guidelines for environmentally friendly shrimp fishing operations. Starting from the preparation process of fishing operations, information on environmentally friendly shrimp fishing gear, shrimp fishing operation techniques, to proper shrimp handling and packaging. By adopting these BMPs, fishermen not only conserve shrimp resources and sustain their livelihoods, but also gain economic benefits by maintaining the quality of the shrimp caught.

The development of this Shrimp Fishing BMP was carried out through various stages, namely:

• Collection of data from the field at the location of pilot project WWWF-Indonesia in Berau;
• Discussion with relevant stakeholders such as government, academics, and fishermen;
• Literature study of other research results.

This BMP is a flexible (living document), which will continue to be refined in accordance with developments in the field and input from relevant parties.