Indonesia longline tuna and swordfish fishery: Enhancing observer programs

• Training onboard observers to strengthen monitoring and improve data around interactions with endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species
• Improving compliance around regional management regulations
• Aligning monitoring with MSC sustainability requirements
  

The fishery

The Indonesia Indian Ocean tuna and large pelagics longline fishery is a group of 364 vessels whose catch comprises albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) tuna, and swordfish (Xiphias gladius).

Using longline fishing gear, the vessels operate in the Indian Ocean, within Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). 

The fishery has been in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), led by Asosiasi Tuna Longline Indonesia (ATLI), since 2019 and is part of the MSC Improvement Program.

The fishery has now been awarded a Transition Assistance Fund grant to aid improvements and move it towards full assessment against the MSC Fisheries Standard in 2029.

What the project will do

The project will use its Transition Assistance Fund grant to improve observer training and deployment. 

Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO), The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), have mandated that scientific observers are present on at least 5% of fishing trips. Increased coverage for the longline fishery will provide effective monitoring of its environmental impacts including bycatch, discards, and interactions with endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species. 

With technical guidance from the PSDI (Directorate of Fisheries Resources Management) and scientists from BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency), the project will also conduct observer and enumerator workshops. This will ensure observers are well trained for high-quality, standardised data collection.

The work will ensure the fishery aligns with both IOTC regulations and MSC standards. The data collected will inform long-term strategies and protocols for monitoring and minimising the fishery’s environmental impacts.