Bali Sardinella
Bali Sardinella
Fishery Improvement Project
Last Updated 2 February 2012
Species: Bali sardinella (Sardinella lemuru)
FIP Scope/Scale: Fishery level
Fishery Location: Indonesia
Sustainability Information: See Summary tab on this link Sardinella lemuru
Date Launched: 2010
FIP Stage: 1, FIP is launched
Current Improvement Recommendations:
- Encourage fishmeal industries to share information to better understand the sources of fishmeal and fish oil for feed mills, including the identity of the species, the location of the fishery, and any public information on their status.
- Convene a roundtable discussion among industry groups and government agencies about the sustainability issues of feed fisheries to discuss the global fishmeal issue (from small pelagic and trash fish) as well as buyer pressure and incentives and the need to meet certification standards regarding shrimp feed. The workshop is expected to bring together all key stakeholders involved in the fishery to identify steps to be taken to improve the fishery through better management.
- Support the government to develop and implement the fishery management plan for Bali sardinella.
Background:
Bali sardinella is an important species used in Indonesian feed mills, as well as in imported fishmeal. The fishery developed rapidly following the introduction of purse seines in 1974. Aside from being consumed as fresh fish, Bali sardinella is also processed for canning, fishmeal, and dried fish. The high quality larger-sized fish are processed for canning, while smaller fish and spoiled larger fish are processed for fishmeal at the plants. A mixture of different species (other than sardines and mostly not economically important) are usually sold to the fishmeal plants. Fish rejected by fishmeal plants and canneries are sold to beach-based traditional fishmeal businesses to make flake meal.
Key issues:
- Information on the stock is scarce and the data, with the exception of catch statistics, are outdated. However, various stock assessments concluded that the fishery was overfished.
- Poor coordination between institutions in the fishing ports may lead to underreporting and fishing by unlicensed vessels. On an average fishing day, only about 45 percent of the catch is landed and reported at government landing sites.
- The fishery is one of the first in the country where management has been relatively successful. However, progress has been slowed by a lack of stakeholder participation in developing the management plan and by the absence of a permanent management body.
Considering the above challenges, SFP plans to work with progressive Indonesian aquaculture and aquafeed industries, other non-governmental organizations active in the area, government regulatory agencies, and major aquaculture buyers to support the fishery improvement process aimed to ensure the sustainability of the fishery through better management.
Fishery market:
Some of the catch is consumed fresh and some is processed in the form of canned and boiled-salted products for human consumption, while the majority is converted into fishmeal. There are currently 12 canneries in East Java and seven in Bali, 24 processing plants for boiled-salted products in East Java and 10 in Bali, and 24 fishmeal plants in East Java and 10 in Bali.
Most of the canned sardines, fish oil, and fishmeal are for export and only a small portion is for the domestic market. In the last few years, cold storage industries started to develop, especially for products to be used as bait for the sport fishing industry. Exports of fishmeal from Indonesia have tended to increase but remain small in volume. Almost all exports are made to other Asian countries. The main countries importing fishmeal from Indonesia are China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Bangladesh, and the Dominican Republic.
The beginning of the FIP:
Key shrimp buyers in the European market have requested information on the sustainability status of fisheries supplying shrimp feed, including Bali sardinella. According to fishmeal processors, pelagic fishes like Bali sardinella are the best basic materials for fishmeal due to their high protein content. Other small pelagics that are used for fishmeal in Indonesia are: ikan pepetek or ponyfish (family Leiognathidae), ikan layang or scad (Decapterus spp.), sardine (spotted sardinella, rainbow sardine), and some discards from tuna, mackerel, and sardines canneries.
SFP developed a relationship with Central Proteinaprima (CPP), one of the biggest feed manufacturers in Indonesia, through their buyer in the United Kingdom, Sainsbury’s. Together with CPP, SFP plans to use the Bali sardinella fishery as an entry point for building the case for sustainable aquafeed and how improvement can be made towards sustainability.
FIP Objectives:
Planned improvements include:
- Sharing information to better understand the sources of fishmeal and fish oil within CPP (and other feed mills), including identifying species, the location of the fishery, and any public information on the fishery’s status.
- Assisting the Association of Animal Feed Producers (GPMT) in raising awareness among industry groups and government agencies about the sustainability issues of feed fisheries. SFP will conduct an awareness workshop targeted to industries and government agencies with an overview of the global fishmeal issue (from small pelagic and trash fish), as well as a discussion of buyer pressure and incentives and the need to meet Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) certification standards regarding shrimp feed. The workshop is expected to bring together all key stakeholders involved in the fishery to identify steps to be taken to improve the fishery through better management.
FIP Participants:
Stakeholders:
Progress:
SFP has compiled and uploaded information on FishSource regarding the fishery’s sustainability issues. SFP met with CPP in October 2010.
In December 2011, SFP has prepared and finalized a white paper on the Sustainable Bali Sardinella Initiative. This paper has been reviewed by the relevant scientists and some FIP participants.
On 18 January 2012, SFP was invited by Indonesia’s GPMT (Association of Animal Feed Producers) to give a presentation on Sustainable Feed Resources in the Indonesian Aquaculture Outlook 2012. The event was attended by high-level government officials from Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) and key stakeholders in aquaculture and feed industries in Indonesia. As one of the follow ups, the participants in the workshop agreed to facilitate a roundtable on sustainable feed in May 2012.
SFP has been working closely with CPP to mobilize GPMT to prepare an awareness workshop on the issue of sustainable aquaculture feed. The roundtable will be attended by relevant government officials from MMAF, including the Directorates of Fishery Resources, Aquaculture, and Fishery Processing and Marketing; members of the Association of Animal Feed Producers; and relevant scientists. The purpose of the workshop is to raise awareness on the demand for sustainable feeds and identify steps to be taken to improve the fishery through better management.
FIP Contact:
If you would like more information about the FIP or wish to support the FIP, please contact SFP
