01 May CTC Conducts Dialogue with Fishing Communities in the Arafura Sea

CTC team members traveled to Langgur in Maluku and Merauke in Papua Province on April 27-30, 2017 to conduct consultation meetings with local fishing communities and better understand how to support them in adopting sustainable fishing methods under the ‘Building a Sustainable Seafood Industry to Support Coastal Communities in the Arafura Sea’ (SeaNet Indonesia) Project.

The team visited five villages namely Ngan, Sathean, Samkai, Maro and Kamahe, and meet with a total of 205 local government and community representatives. The team also met with women groups to discuss how the project can help them improve their livelihoods by providing training on fisheries post-harvest techniques and financial management.

SeaNet Indonesia Project, which is being implemented by CTC and TierraMar and supported by AusAid, aims to introduce small-scale Indonesian fishermen in the Arafura Sea to sustainable fishing methods, reduce fish entanglement and bycatch of threatened species, and help fishing communities increase the value of their fisheries products through improved post-harvest handling.

The project is also assisting the fish processing groups to have a halal certificate and a certificate from the Department of Health as part of the Project’s strategies to enhance the product quality and to increase access to the wider Indonesian market for seafood. It will also focus on improving financial returns for women engaged in fish processing and sales.

The Arafura Sea is one of the most productive fisheries region in Indonesia and supports key shrimp and demersal fish breeding and nursery grounds. The project, which is modeled after SeaNet Australia, is a pilot program for the Coral Triangle as a potential model for fisheries extension across the broader region.