The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), through the Directorate of Fish Resources Management (PSDI), convened the 2025 Plenary of the National Scientific Commission on Stock Assessment (Komnas Kajiskan) on November 11–14 in Bogor. The strategic meeting, facilitated by the GEF-6 CFI Indonesia program, brought together 66 participants representing commission members, ministerial advisors, DJPT officials, researchers, academics, and international partners including SFP, NCI, Tuna Consortium, and Rekam Nusantara. The multi-stakeholder presence demonstrates the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to safeguard Indonesia’s fishery resources.

The 2025 Komnas Kajiskan Plenary was attended by 66 hybrid participants (in-person and virtual). Bogor, 11-14 November 2025

The four-day plenary marked a key milestone in refining commission procedures, strengthening scientific roles in decision-making, and ensuring that national fisheries management policies remain evidence-based.

Developing Stock Assessment Mechanisms and Protocols

Chair of Komnas Kajiskan Secretariate and Director of PSDI, Syahril Abd. Raup, emphasized that the annual plenary focused on strategic outputs, including refining decision-making mechanisms, stock assessment protocol development, and annual performance evaluation. The protocols developed cover major commodities such as shrimp, snapper, grouper, blue swimming crab, shark species, octopus, tuna, and cob.

Syahril Abd. Raup, Chair of Komnas Kajiskan Secretariate and Director of MMAF’s PSDI, delivered the implementation report for the 2025 Komnas Kajiskan Plenary. Bogor, 12 November 2025

Syahril highlighted the crucial role of Scientific Service Providers (SSP). Currently, only three SSPs are verified—BRIN Fisheries Research Center, Rekam Nusantara Foundation, and YKAN—insufficient to meet national scientific requirements. Therefore, the Ministry calls for greater participation among universities and research institutions.

MMAF Emphasizes Science-Driven Fisheries Policies

The plenary was officially opened by the Director-General of Capture Fisheries, Police Commissioner General (Ret.) Lotharia Latif, who underscored the importance of Komnas Kajiskan in supporting science-based policy. He highlighted DJPT priority programs, including CCSBT tuna management, Indonesia–China cooperation, modernization of 1,582 fishing vessels, and the development of 100 Advanced Fishermen Village (KNMP) by the end of 2025.

The Director General of Capture Fisheries, Police Commissioner General (Ret.) Lotharia Latif, officially opened the 2025 Komnas Kajiskan Plenary and delivered his remarks. Bogor, 12 November 2025

He also addressed challenges in implementing quota-based Measured Fishing (PIT), noting that fisheries non-tax revenue (PNBP) remains at only 0.4%, despite fisheries GDP reaching 20.5%—indicating low sector optimization. He called for consistency in field execution and stronger data systems.

Stock Assessment Achievements 2025

Komnas Kajiskan Chair, Prof. Indra Jaya, presented progress on stock assessments throughout 2025. Assessments for snapper and grouper have been completed and are undergoing final refinement, including model convergence verification and production parameter validation. Assessments for sharks-rays, octopus, and other commodities are still underway.

Komnas Kajiskan Chair, Prof. Indra Jaya, delivered a report on the implementation of the commission’s activities at the 2025 Komnas Kajiskan Plenary. Bogor, 12 November 2025

One major achievement is the launch of the Komnas Kajiskan Official Website, serving as a national scientific reference hub and marking a major step toward transparency and open access to Indonesia’s fish stock data.

Plenary Formulation and Appointment of New SSP Institutions

The plenary produced several important decisions, including:

1. The decision-making mechanism will primarily rely on consensus; if consensus cannot be reached, non-scientific decisions will be determined through voting, while scientific decisions will be left to the experts.

2. The stock assessment protocols for eight commodity groups have been completed and are ready for review.

3. The mechanism for establishing SSP institutions has been agreed upon as the basis for appointing scientific service providers.

4. Three institutions are ready to be designated as new SSPs, namely BRIN Biota System PR, Udayana University, and Brawijaya University.

5. The Komnas website was well appreciated and will be followed by use training.

6. For the octopus research, data collection must be extended to six years; therefore, the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) cannot yet be determined.

The 2025 Komnas Kajiskan Plenary resulted in several strategic formulations to support sustainable national fisheries management

2026 Agenda: Science-Based Governance Consolidation

The 2026 work plan includes revisions to the Ministerial Decree on stock potential and TAC estimation, strengthening data processing capacity, quota calculation assistance, development of a seasonal fishing calendar, further development of the Komnas website, and improvement of Secretariate facilities.

Through these achievements and future plans, the 2025 Komnas Kajiskan Plenary reinforces the government’s commitment to building a modern, accountable, and fully science-based fisheries governance system to ensure the sustainability of Indonesia’s marine resources.