At the international FAO Webinar on Sustainable Aquatic Food Value Chains: Ecolabelling and Small-Scale Fisheries, held on 13 May 2026, Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to promoting more inclusive fisheries certification and ecolabelling systems for small-scale fishers.

During the international forum of FAO Webinar on Sustainable Aquatic Food Value Chains: Ecolabelling and Small-Scale Fisheries, held on 13 May 2026, Indonesia showcased a locally rooted approach through the development of the Sasi Label.

At the international forum, which brought together representatives from various countries and international organizations, showcased an approach grounded in local wisdom through the development of the Sasi Label, a community-based ecolabelling model developed in the Maluku and Papua regions. The initiative is regarded as a best-practice example of how sustainability systems can be built from within coastal communities themselves.

Indonesia’s presentation was prepared by Ridwan Mulyana, Secretary of the Directorate General of Capture Fisheries (DGCF) of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), and delivered by Hasan El Fakhri, Head of the Public Relations and Cooperation Working Team of DGCF-MMAF, during Roundtable Discussion Panel 1 entitled “Are Current Instruments Fit for SSF? Lessons Learned from National Experiences.” Indonesia joined panellists from Japan, the Maldives, Peru, Chile, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Norway.

In its presentation, Indonesia emphasised that small-scale fishers should not be required to conform to industrial fisheries models merely to gain recognition as practitioners of sustainable fisheries.

“In many of Indonesia’s coastal communities, sustainable fishing practices have existed for generations. The main challenge is whether current certification and ecolabelling systems are capable of recognizing and valuing these practices,” Hasan El Fakhri stated while delivering Ridwan Mulyana’s remarks.

Indonesia’s presentation was prepared by Ridwan Mulyana, Secretary of the Directorate General of Capture Fisheries (DGCF) of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), and delivered by Hasan El Fakhri, Head of the Public Relations and Cooperation Working Team of DJPT-MMAF, during Roundtable Discussion Panel 1 entitled “Are Current Instruments Fit for SSF? Lessons Learned from National Experiences” on 13 May 2026.

Indonesia is home to more than 2.2 million small-scale fishers, while approximately 95 percent of the national fishing fleet consists of vessels smaller than 10 gross tons. Small-scale fisheries serve as a backbone of national food security and a key driver of coastal livelihoods across the Indonesian archipelago.

However, most existing global certification schemes continue to be designed around large-scale industrial supply chain models that are complex and costly. As a result, small-scale fishers often face significant barriers, including high audit costs, administrative and product traceability requirements, and limited technical capacity.

During the webinar opening session, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted this gap. FAO moderator Marcio Castro de Souza noted that small-scale fisheries contribute approximately 40 percent of global capture fisheries production and support around 60 million workers worldwide. Nevertheless, the sector accounts for less than five percent of globally certified fishery products.

Marcio Castro de Souza moderated Discussion Panel 1, “Are Current Instruments Fit for SSF? Lessons Learned from National Experiences,” which brought together representatives from Indonesia, Japan, the Maldives, Peru, and other countries on 13 May 2026.

According to FAO, the primary challenge is not whether small-scale fishers have adopted sustainable fishing practices, but whether global certification systems are sufficiently flexible to recognize locally developed and community-based sustainability practices.

In response to this challenge, Indonesia introduced the Sasi Label as a community-based ecolabelling model rooted in customary knowledge. Sasi is a long-standing marine resource management tradition practiced by communities in Maluku and Papua, involving the temporary closure of fishing areas to allow ecosystems to recover naturally.

The system is overseen by a customary institution known as Kewang and is marked by the installation of yellow coconut-leaf markers that signify temporary restrictions on resource harvesting within designated areas.

Indonesia emphasised that the sasi tradition essentially embodies key principles of modern sustainable fisheries management, including ecological conservation, social compliance, collective monitoring, and intergenerational equity.

“What Indonesia is doing is not creating a new sustainability system, but rather providing market recognition for a community governance system that has long existed and has proven effective,” Hasan explained.

As Head of the Public Relations and Cooperation Working Team of DGCF-MMAF, Hasan El Fakhri delivered a presentation entitled “Indonesia’s National Experience in Ecolabelling and Certification for Small-Scale Fisheries,” highlighting the development of the Sasi Label through the GEF-6 CFI Indonesia grant programme during Roundtable Discussion Panel 1 themed ““Are Current Instruments Fit for SSF? Lessons Learned from National Experiences,” on 13 May 2026.

The development of the Sasi Label is currently being strengthened through the GEF-6 Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) Indonesia grant programme, implemented in partnership with MMAF to support ecosystem-based fisheries management in Eastern Indonesia. The programme promotes the revitalization of the sasi system as part of the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), while strengthening scientific foundations, supply chain documentation, resource monitoring, and the institutional capacity of Indigenous communities.

MMAF also expressed its appreciation for the achievements of GEF-6 CFI Indonesia, which has successfully advanced the Sasi Label as one of Indonesia’s leading examples of community-based ecolabelling and fisheries certification. The collaboration demonstrates that customary practices and local governance mechanisms can be effectively linked to modern market systems without compromising the cultural identity of coastal communities.

In its implementation, the Sasi Label initiative is carried out through five key stages: the establishment of customary regulations, science-based ecosystem monitoring, community-based catch verification, strengthening fishers’ business capacities, and marketing products through modern retail networks under a sustainability identity.

To date, Sasi Label products have been marketed through 25 modern retail outlets across seven locations in Eastern Indonesia. Indonesia has deliberately prioritized the domestic market as a practical pathway before entering export markets, which require higher costs and more complex certification processes.

Recognition was also expressed by Marcio Castro de Souza of FAO, who highlighted Indonesia’s Sasi Label approach as an important example demonstrating that sustainable fisheries practices have already emerged and flourished at the local community level (13 May 2026).

During the forum, Indonesia shared four key lessons learned from the implementation of Sasi Label. First, certification systems must be simple and aligned with the realities of small-scale fisheries. Second, domestic markets hold significant potential to support sustainably sourced fishery products. Third, women play a vital role throughout fisheries value chains, particularly in post-harvest processing and the strengthening of coastal household economies. Fourth, customary institutions such as Kewang possess strong social legitimacy in safeguarding the sustainability of marine resources.

Adipati Rahmat, Project Manager of GEF-6 CFI Indonesia, stated that the project fully supports MMAF in implementing Sasi Label across Eastern Indonesia.

“We fully support the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in implementing Sasi Label throughout Eastern Indonesia. This approach demonstrates that customary systems such as sasi and institutions such as kewang can provide a strong foundation for sustainable fisheries while simultaneously improving the well-being of coastal communities,” he said.

According to Adipati, the principles of sustainability in small-scale fisheries have long existed and been practiced by local communities. What is needed today is greater recognition, capacity strengthening, and stronger integration with broader market systems and policy frameworks.

“We believe this approach is more inclusive, better aligned with local realities, and capable of strengthening the role of Indigenous Peoples, women, and coastal economies in Maluku and Papua,” he added.

FAO regards Indonesia’s approach as an important example showing that fisheries sustainability has, in fact, grown from within communities themselves, while global certification systems continue to adapt to such locally rooted practices.

Marcio Castro de Souza further reiterated FAO’s core principle that “one size never fits all” in the management and certification of small-scale fisheries.

“Solutions for small-scale fisheries cannot simply replicate industrial models. They must be built around local realities, community participation, the role of women, and the prevailing social and cultural context,” he emphasised.

Through the FAO forum, Indonesia also formally advocated for the ongoing revision of the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling to provide greater recognition of community-based and Indigenous governance systems as legitimate pathways toward sustainable fisheries certification.

Indonesia believes that the future of ecolabelling cannot depend on a single governance model. Global systems must become more adaptive to the diversity of local practices that have successfully conserved marine resources for generations.

“Sustainability does not always have to start from scratch. Many coastal communities already possess knowledge, institutions, and conservation ethics that have been passed down across generations,” Hasan El Fakhri concluded.