June 14, 2023

Indonesia explores tuna farming to boost aquaculture sector

Indonesia is venturing into tuna farming in an effort to bolster its aquaculture industry and alleviate strain on the world's largest marine tuna fisheries, Mongabay reported.

As the largest tuna-catching nation, accounting for approximately 16% of the global tuna supply, Indonesia faces sustainability challenges due to the intensive fishing of wild tuna in its waters. Many of the country's fishing grounds in the Pacific and Indian oceans are already fully exploited, leading to overfishing of tuna species.

To address this issue, the Indonesian Fisheries Ministry has implemented various measures over the years, including harvest controls, species monitoring in specific fishing areas, regulation of fish-aggregating devices, and promoting international sustainability certification for fishers. Expanding on these efforts, the ministry is now exploring the establishment of tuna farms in the country's bays.

At a press conference in Legian, Bali, Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono expressed optimism about the potential benefits of tuna farming in Indonesia. He highlighted the shift from massive tuna catching to a model where tuna would be caught and then grown in sea pens, providing economic value and meeting protein demands.

Sakti said the government had sought advice from a fisheries expert in Turkey and planned to consult with others in Australia to learn tuna-farming techniques. The Turkish expert identified Indonesia's potential to become the world's leading tuna-farming country.

Indonesia's extensive archipelagic waters are home to various tuna species, including albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, and southern bluefin tuna. The country's 17,000 islands also host significant spawning grounds for these fish.

The Indonesian tuna fishery plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of coastal communities and provides a vital source of food for global consumers. In 2021, the country produced 791,000 metric tonnes of caught tuna, valued at IDR 22 trillion (~US$1.5 billion; IDR 10000 = US$0.67), with exports amounting to 174,764 metric tonnes worth over IDR 10.6 trillion (~US$710 million). Major export destinations include the US, Japan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, Australia, Vietnam, the UK, and the Philippines.

President Joko Widodo instructed the country's Fisheries Ministry to enhance aquaculture productivity at the beginning of his second term in 2019. Indonesia is among the world's leading aquaculture producers, with global production experiencing a 527% increase from 1990 to 2018. In the third quarter of 2021, the country's aquaculture output reached 12.25 million metric tonnes, a 6% increase compared to the same period in 2020. The aquaculture sector significantly contributed to non-tax state revenue, surpassing the target figure of US$1.39 million and reaching US$1.94 million by November 2021, according to the ministry's data.

-      Mongabay