Fair Trade Fisher Associations in Maluku and North Maluku in Indonesia recently celebrated World Fisheries Day (WFD) 2021, along with the rest of fishery communities around the globe. This year, they called out to fellow small-scale fishers to consider taking a one-day break from fishing each week, or a total of 52 days a year. This effort is intended to help reduce fish mortality, allowing more time for fish to grow and breed, to help naturally restore fish stocks in the sea.
Data collected by Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia (MDPI) Foundation so far indicates that the size of tuna caught in the last few years has been in decline, with fishers needing to travel further out, resulting in longer fishing days and increased fuel costs. These signs of declining catch volumes need to be monitored, especially by small-scale fishers, who are living with many limitations as is. Many of them have no alternative source of income; they cannot afford to keep paying the high operational cost of fishing only to return with too little catch, if any.
The globally commemorated day has also become our organization’s annual awareness-raising festivity; from a series of school talks to information and data-sharing with fishers, along with a variety of fun events to keep the community entertained, while advocating for healthier ocean ecosystems. These grassroot activities are carried out across all MDPI project sites, spanning two to three days leading up to the official day-of on November 21st, involving all fisher associations that we work alongside with.
Read more:
https://en.tempo.co/read/1544629/tuna-fishers-for-sustainable-fishing-lets-take-a-day-off