Melda Kamil Ariadno** and Fitri Amelina***
ABSTRACT
Fisheries play an important role in food security, especially in Indonesia. Two-thirds of the land area is covered by sea and its coastal community is the largest one among the Indonesian communities. Data obtained from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Affairs in 2011 shows that 95 per cent of the operators in the Indonesian fisheries sub-sector operated on the small-scale and 42 per cent of them were women. Small-scale fisheries provide a great contribution to the food security of Indonesia and the world, either in the context of fulfilling animal protein needs or providing a basis for the local, national, and international-scale trade in fisheries products. The Indonesian fishing community contributes to the 90 per cent total amount of world fishers, of which half are women (FAO, 2012). To improve this small-scale fishing, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has initiated the adoption of ‘International Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.’ It is still in negotiation regarding the main principles that are to be implemented by states in securing the sustainability of small-scale fisheries and figuring out the solutions that need to be taken by Indonesia to improve the living standard of the small-scale fisherman/woman. The article aims to provide problems identification, regulations assessment, and recommendations on small-scale fisheries in Indonesia.
Keywords: Small-scale fisheries, international regulation, Indonesia.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jsdlp.v7i2.3
* This article is the outcome of the research funded by the University of Indonesia on a giveaway scheme (Small Scale Fisheries) led by Melda Kamil Ariadno alongside with the research team members, namely, Mutiara Hikmah, Sammira Assovie, Fitri Amelina and Miftahul Khairi.
** Professor of International Law, Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia. Director of the Center for International Law Studies and Editor-in-Chief of the Indonesian Journal of International Law, Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia.
*** Junior Researcher on Center for International Law Studies, Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia.