Fishing is integral to millions of Indonesians’ livelihoods and identities, with an estimated 2.5 million households involved in small-scale (non-industrial) fishing and aquaculture. Small-scale fishing includes a wide variety of activities, from subsistence harvesting to fish processing, and is performed by individuals, informal fishers’ groups, and even formal private sector businesses. But despite Indonesia’s rich marine, coastal and mangrove ecosystems, approximately 11% of Indonesian fishers live in poverty.
Compounding that, they must navigate a myriad of environmental threats, including overfishing, water pollution, urban development and climate change. And although small-scale fishing has smaller environmental impacts than industrial fishing, fishing of any sort is an extractive industry and so even small-scale activities can conflict with conservation objectives.
Over the past few decades, many conservation and sustainable development organizations working across the archipelago have developed alternative-livelihoods programs to help fishing communities enhance or diversify their incomes and protect their environmental resources.
Read more:
Study shows how sustainable livelihood programs for Indonesian fishers can succeed
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