Indonesian Snapper
Indonesian Snapper
Fishery Improvement Project
Last Updated 8 March 2012
Species:
Malabar blood snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus)
crimson snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus)
goldband snapper (Pristipomoides multidens)
FIP Scope/Scale: Fishery level
Fishery Location: Indonesia
Sustainability Information:
For sustainability information please see:
Date Launched: 2009
FIP Stage: 2, FIP is formed
Current Improvement Recommendations:
- Snapper producers (fishing fleet owners and processors) - develop improvement plans for snapper fisheries that favor fishery sustainability, with a focus on the main fishing grounds they source from.
- Snapper buyers - support their suppliers’ fishery improvement efforts and improve procurement policies that favor fishery sustainability.
- Promote traceability to ensure that the origin and status of snapper products are well-known and all products source from legal fisheries.
- Support research to define stock status of Indonesian snapper and improve the availability of accurate data on catches and bycatch.
- Support the government to improve management and policies encouraging sustainable snapper fisheries
Background:
Snapper (or kakap merah or “bambangan”) is part of the family Lutjanidae, with nine genera. Three species of snapper, Lutjanus malabaricus (Malabar blood snapper), L. erythropterus (crimson snapper), and Pristipomoides multidens (goldband snapper, locally known as “kurisi”) are the most economically important fish for export from Indonesia.
The distribution of snapper in Indonesia covers the vast area of the archipelago, with the major fishing grounds for this species in the Eastern Timor Sea, Aru Bay, and the Arafura Sea. Data from Indonesia Capture Fisheries Statistics show that in 2007, kakap merah from these waters contributed more than 30 percent of the total catch, with 35,112 tonnes landed (MMAF 2009).
The total landing of snapper in Indonesia was 116,994 tonnes in 2007, valued at USD 203,394. The other important fishing grounds for snapper are in the Karimata Strait, Natuna Sea, and South China Sea, which together contributed 13.9 percent of the total catch; followed by Tolo Bay and Banda Sea (together 11.8%); Java Sea (10.5%); and the Makassar Strait, Bone Bay, Flores Sea, and Bali Sea (together 8.1%).
Snapper fisheries are targeted by artisanal and larger vessels. This is a highly complex fishery as it has four different “gear types” and is spread out over a huge area of the Indonesian archipelago. The types of fishing gear currently being used for snapper are drop/handline (DL), bottom longline (BLL), bottom gillnet, bottom trawls, and traps. Shrimp trawlers in the Arafura and Aru Seas often also include snapper as part of their bycatch.
Key problems/issues:
The main challenges to this fishery include:
- A comprehensive nationwide biological stock assessment for snapper (Lutjanus spp.) is not available. Therefore, the status of snapper populations in Indonesia cannot be determined against the biological reference points. It is difficult to improve the fishery management without knowing the status and condition of the fish stock.
- Data on the artisanal snapper fisheries is lacking.
- Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a major issue in the Timor and Arafura Seas. It is estimated that between 1980 and 2005, more than 80 percent of demersal fish, mostly red snapper (Lutjanus spp.),harvested from the Arafura Sea using bottom longline was defined as unreported (Wagey et al. 2009 in UNDP 2010).
- Trawls used in the wide shallow shelf of the Arafura Sea pull in bycatch that often exceeds the intended catch.
- On the market side, buyers encounter more regulation (including health and safety issues) and traceability issues for snapper purchases in this region than in other snapper fisheries.
- The existing annual catch data from capture fisheries statistics for Indonesia do not show the annual catch estimate for each species for each type of fishing gear. Retained and bycatch data is limited or not available.
Fisheries market:
Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) show that the export volume of snapper from Indonesia fluctuated and ranged from 1.5 to 2.7 thousand tonnes per year with the United States, EU countries, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and the Middle East as main markets (WPI 2009). However, the precise volume and value of exported snapper to each destination country/region was not known.
Data from the Foreign Trade Data Base (NMFS) show that US snapper import data from Indonesia ranged from 1 to 2 thousand tonnes per year in the last 5 years, mostly in the form of frozen boneless fillet. This means that most of the snapper from Indonesia goes to the US market, fluctuating between 46 and 85 percent of total snapper exports per year. Red snapper from Indonesia is also one of the most popular seafood products commonly found in fish markets in Singapore and Malaysia.
FIP Objectives
- Improve the availability of accurate data on catches, retained and bycatch, from both artisanal fisheries and larger vessels.
- Promote traceability by engaging supply chains to ensure that the origin and status of snapper products are well-known and all products source from legal fisheries.
FIP Participants:
Stakeholders:
- Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF)
- ATSEA (Arafura and Timor Sea Ecosystem Action) Program
- LINI (The Indonesian Nature Foundation)
- WWF Indonesia
- TNC
Progress:
Supply chain analysis data for snapper in the Arafura and Timor Seas has been collected by visiting some main landing ports in Probolinggo (East Java) and in east Indonesia (including Papua, Maluku, and East Nusa Tenggara). The work is one of the supporting components of the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) program, a project funded by UNDP/GEF International Waters, to provide a thorough supply chain analysis to understand the snapper fisheries from the region. The project examines the scope of the market, challenges the fisheries are facing, and strategies for addressing these challenges via private-sector alliances and market-based incentives.
In November 2011, SFP attended the LSSFI (Lesser Sunda Sustainable Fisheries Initiative) Fisheries Resource Mapping technical meeting, facilitated by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). LSSFI’s purpose is to develop a sustainable fishery that addresses biomass levels, sustainable yield, support of local economies, efficient procurement and payment, improved handling methods, improved harvesting methods, access to markets, and data collection. SFP’s involvement with the LSSFI project is to share lessons learned from other FIPs, provide guidance and advice on their workplan, and facilitate roundtable discussions to showcase the initiative.
Since October 2011, SFP has been in communication with PT Ilufa, one of the major Indonesian snapper processors and producers, to start the FIP process for their artisanal and larger vessels together with their main buyer (North Atlantic). Both PT Ilufa and North Atlantic expressed interest in developing a fishery improvement project for the snapper fishery they are sourcing from. PT Ilufa's snappers come from various locations, including the Aru, Arafura, and Timor Seas. SFP has been assiting potential FIP members to develop a workplan and provide guidance and advice on the implementing activities.
In December 2011, a draft white paper and a draft report on the supply chain analysis for the Arafura and Timor Seas were completed for Indonesian snapper. These two reports provide greater detail on our regional strategy to catalyze the improvement project for this fishery.
Click here for a comprehensive description of FIP results
FIP Contact:
If you would like more information about the FIP or wish to support the FIP, please contact SFP
