About 85 Madopolo fishermen from Bisa Island, North Obi, South Halmahera, North Maluku, gathered in front of the Central Madopolo Village Hall. That day, Tuesday (24/1/2023) made them happy because they would be handed over a fishing fleet document or what is known as a Vessel Document Registration Certificate (TDKP).
There are 120 TDKP documents for vessels with a capacity of 1 gross tonnage (GT) submitted to fishermen. This important document was obtained after facilitating its management by the Indonesian Fisheries and Society (MDPI), an NGO that has been assisting fishermen for the last five years.
Before submitting the documents, socialization was carried out regarding the procedure for obtaining permits for the installation of FADs in the sea in the fishing area of small fishermen. “Can Island fishermen can finally get FAD permits. This is probably the first FAD permit in Indonesia,” explained Putra Satria Timur, MDPI’s Fisheries Lead after the socialization activity.
The processing process is quite long and tiring for small fishermen, especially with data input which is done online.
Not only did they get a FAD permit from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), the fishermen on Bisa Island had also received a TDKP document as one of the requirements for a FAD permit.
They have been waiting for about 7 months to be able to get a permit to install these FADs from the KKP which was handed over at the end of 2022, because previously their FADs and the entrepreneur had been cleaned by the North Maluku Province Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service (DKP). Control over FADs was carried out after there was a conflict at the fishermen level in utilizing FADs. Finally, the fishermen must arrange for a permit to install FADs according to KKP rules.
Island Fishermen Can Obi Pocket SIPR
Installation of FADs as a gathering place for a variety of pelagic fish is still a problem. The use of FADs as fishing aids to make it more effective and efficient together with fishing vessels
Unfortunately, there are still many fishermen who do not have permission to place FADs. FAD licensing is an important issue in North Maluku and Indonesia, especially for anchored FADs that collect skipjack tuna (SKJ), yellowfin tuna (YFT) and bigeye tuna (BET).
The government has regulated the management of FADs through various regulations, such as the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Regulation (Permen KP) No.18/2021.
Sarno La Jiwa, a fisherman from Bisa Island, North Maluku, complains about the mushrooming FADs and the increasing number of purse seine boats coming from outside the area which is causing local fishermen to have difficulty getting fish.
“That condition made me start to change my target catch to reef fish so I could make a living. Some fishermen even switched professions to become motorcycle taxi drivers and tried their luck to become gold miners,” he said.
The existence of mushrooming FADs actually decreases the size of the fish caught and the fishing locations are further away. In addition, FADs that are installed and not licensed often obstruct the ship’s movement path. So it is necessary to arrange FADs according to the rules.
The NGO MDPI helps assist fishermen on Bisa Obi Island, South Halmahera, to obtain FAD permits. “We are trying to help fishermen by preparing various documents and data needed for the permit,” said MDPI Director Yasmin Simbolon.
Considering that obtaining FAD permits is a new thing and has many stages, MDPI helps facilitate the licensing process for the placement of FADs, starting from processing the basic documents for the Approval of Conformity for Marine Space Utilization Activities (PKKPRL) to providing basic document supporting data in the form of tide data, current direction and speed data, wave height, sea depth maps, community socio-economic data and so on.
“After processing the basic documents through Online Single Submission (OSS), the PKKPRL document was finally published. This process did not just stop, however, the fishermen on Bisa Island, assisted by MDPI, are again moving to carry out SIPR arrangements at the local government. This is in line with the regulations in force, in which the local government has authority over FADs whose installation is submitted under 12 miles,” explained Putra Satria Timur.
Bisa Obi Island fishermen who are members of the Mandioli Tuna Bisa Cooperative finally obtained a Permit for the Placement of FADs (SIPR) issued by the KKP after being recommended by the North Maluku DKP and the Syahbandar Office, during the Regular Meeting of the Joint Management Committee for Tuna Fisheries of North Maluku Province on December 21, 2022.
“The FADs we plant must have a permit. We don’t want to have illegal goods because Fair Trade certification teaches us to carry out legal fishing activities,” explained the representative of the Tuna Bisa Mandioli Cooperative fishermen, Sarno La Jiwa.
It is hoped that this first SIPR will be followed by SIPR arrangements for other FADs in Indonesia and legalize the status of fish caught by small fishermen who are members of certified fishermen.
Meanwhile, the Regional Management Council (DPD) of the Indonesian Fishermen Association (HNSI) of North Maluku has also supported efforts to obtain this licensed FAD. ” Our concern is to push for the implementation of KP Ministerial Regulation No. 18/2021 in North Maluku as soon as possible. This is done considering that the embryo of conflict related to the placement of FADs has been seen between local fishermen and fishermen from outside North Maluku,” explained Hamka Karapesina, the HNSI North Maluku administrator.