cfi-indonesia.id. Indonesia is a maritime nation with vast fisheries potential. In 2024 alone, capture fisheries production reached approximately 7.8 million tonnes—underscoring the sector’s critical role in the national economy and the livelihoods of millions of fishers. However, behind this achievement lies a significant challenge: increasing fishing pressure that is escalating the risk of overfishing in several areas.

To address this challenge, the Government of Indonesia introduced the Measured Fishing Policy (PIT) through Government Regulation No. 11 of 2023. The policy establishes a quota-based and spatial management system aimed at ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks while improving fishers’ welfare.

At a conceptual level, this approach appears sound. However, implementation on the ground reveals a far more complex reality.

When Administrative Boundaries Do Not Reflect Ecological Dynamics

The fundamental issue with the current zoning system is simple: fish do not recognize administrative boundaries.

Many species—particularly pelagic species such as tuna and skipjack—exhibit wide-migratory movement patterns that often span multiple fisheries management areas. Their distribution is driven by ocean temperature, currents, and prey availability—not by human-defined boundaries.

In contrast, the current PIT zoning framework remains largely based on static administrative divisions. This creates a mismatch between “policy maps” and “ecological realities.”

This finding is supported by a 2025 study facilitated by the CFI Indonesia program, involving leading academics and researchers. The study highlights significant spatial variability in fish production, fishing seasons, and vessel movement patterns. Fishing vessels do not operate within fixed zones; rather, they move dynamically in response to seasonal changes and fish availability.

In many cases, vessels operate more frequently outside their home zones. This confirms that fisheries, by nature, are transboundary.

Tangible Impacts: Inefficiency and Inequality

When policy frameworks are misaligned with field realities, the consequences are substantial.

First, from an economic perspective, rigid zoning can lead to inefficiencies. Fishers and fishing enterprises may be constrained to operate in areas with low stock abundance, while more productive fishing grounds remain inaccessible.

Second, there is an increased risk of spatial-use conflicts. Restrictions that fail to reflect actual conditions at sea can trigger tensions among resource users.

Third—and most concerning—is the potential for widening inequality. Small-scale fishers are disproportionately affected due to their limited mobility, while industrial operators are better equipped to adapt.

If left unaddressed, these challenges risk undermining the core objectives of the PIT policy—namely sustainability and equity.

Towards a More Adaptive Approach

Given these challenges, revising the PIT zoning policy is no longer optional—it is imperative. The objective is not to alter the policy’s intent, but to ensure its effectiveness in practice.

Several strategic actions are required:

First, adopt adaptive, ecosystem-based zoning.
Static spatial management should be transformed into a dynamic system that accounts for fish migration, fishing seasons, and oceanographic conditions. Mechanisms such as time-area closures and dynamic zoning should be progressively implemented.

Second, introduce cross-zonal quota scheme.
The policy should allow limited and controlled fishing across zones, particularly for highly migratory species such as tuna and skipjack. This must be supported by an integrated quota system to safeguard stock sustainability.

Third, strengthen management integration across WPPNRI.
Enhanced inter-regional coordination is needed for quota harmonization, data sharing, and joint management of shared fish stocks. Management can no longer remain fragmented along administrative lines.

Fourth, accelerate the integration of data systems and monitoring technologies.
Systems such as the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), AIS, and electronic logbooks must be optimized and integrated. Real-time data will serve as the backbone of adaptive management policy and effective law enforcement.

Fifth, enhance fishers and industry actors’ participation through co-management approaches.
Stakeholders must develop and implement policies collaboratively. Local fishers’ ecological knowledge should be integrated with scientific data to ensure context-specific, equitable, and widely accepted policies.

Sixth, ensure safeguards for small-scale fishers.
Policy revisions must explicitly include affirmative measures for small-scale fishers—such as equitable access to fishing zones, quota allocation, and capacity-building support—to prevent marginalization in an increasingly modernized fisheries system.

Safeguarding the Ocean, Securing the Future

Ultimately, fisheries policies are not merely about regulating who can fish and where. It is about maintaining the balance between ecological sustainability and economic viability—between conserving marine resources and ensuring social equity.

The study facilitated by CFI Indonesia indicates that without policy adjustments, the risks of stock depletion, spatial conflicts, and social inequality will intensify—particularly in the context of climate change, which is already altering fish distribution patterns.

Conversely, with adaptive, data-driven, and inclusive policies, Indonesia has a significant opportunity to become a global reference for sustainable fisheries management.

Indonesia’s seas are abundant. The challenge is no longer finding fish—but ensuring they are managed wisely, equitably, and sustainably for generations to come.