By: M Budi Santosa (Marine Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries Senior Officer)

The MURYA milkfish farmers group as an assisted group of WWF-Indonesia's Aquaculture Program has been established since 2011 with 60 members. Initially, the MURYA Group was known as a compact group in carrying out aquaculture activities. MURYA Group members have a routine meeting schedule once every three months before stocking seedlings and cleaning ponds together. However, along with the busyness of each member, group activities that are together are rarely done. As a result, there are many problems experienced by group members, ranging from the decline in technical activities of milkfish aquaculture, the increasingly limited seeds and fertilizers, to the effect on the increase in product selling prices and the problem of lack of support from relevant stakeholders.

According to the observations of WWF-Indonesia facilitators, the emergence of various problems is a challenge in the implementation of the Aquaculture Improvement Program (AIP) of milkfish farming. So with the aim of rebuilding the togetherness and cohesiveness of the group in conducting aquaculture activities, WWF-Indonesia together with the Department of Marine and Fisheries (DKP) of Pati Regency and the Institute for Development Resource Assessment and Development (LPPSP) Semarang, held a team building activity for MURYA group members on August 20, in Tunggulsari Village, Tayu District, Pati Regency, Central Java.

The event, which was packaged with the outbound method, also involved trainers from LPPSP Semarang, Ibnu Hiban and Haris Muzakky, to provide a variety of interesting game choices that can rejuvenate the spirit of togetherness and group cohesiveness in making better fisheries improvements. Such as, looking for flags, managing resources, moving balls and water bottles, hulahop, tank wheels, shooting, and connected words.

The 33 participants were members of the MURYA group, LPPSP Semarang and WWF-Indonesia. As the event unfolded, there was enthusiasm and excitement among the MURYA group members and their facilitators. The group spirit reappeared at the event, so that there was no longer a distance between the group leader, management, members, even the local village head and his apparatus melted in togetherness and cohesiveness to achieve the goal.

"Hopefully the togetherness and cohesiveness of the group can continue to be nurtured and not stop after this outbound only." said M. Budi Santosa at the end of the event. The DKP staff of Pati Regency who participated in the event also expressed their gratitude to WWF-Indonesia and LPPSP Semarang for organizing the team building event for the MURYA group and hoped that the good cooperation could continue to be improved.

MURYA group representative, Mr. Karwani, expressed his gratitude for the activity. According to him, it is not only the technical assistance of cultivation that must be done, but also the capacity building of the group through team building activities. They also expected the sustainability of similar activities so that the MURYA group can continue to be enthusiastic in improving milkfish cultivation activities in accordance with the BMPs issued by WWF-Indonesia and creating responsible fisheries.