By Maskur Tamanyira
IPNLF Indonesia’s Fisheries Lead
This week, I was invited to present at Oxfam Indonesia’s forum to share our views on successful collaboration in action.
The goal of Navigating Sustainability and Rights: Nature-Based Ocean Solutions and the Future of Southeast Asia’s Seafood Sector was to further SDG17, which emphasises the importance of collaboration to solve critical sustainability challenges.
I shared our experience of developing Indonesia’s small-scale tuna fishers, including our work to improve livelihoods, protect marine ecosystems, and promote collaboration and sustainable practices.
The panel shone a spotlight on a broad range of issues impacting Southeast Asia’s seafood and blue economy sectors. These were our key takeaways:
Civil society organisations need to unite for greater impact
At IPNLF, we think alliances are vital to bring about positive change. In Indonesia, we’re working as part of the Indonesia Tuna Consortium, a collaborative initiative supported by the Walton Family Foundation, which brings together multiple organisations to improve the management of tuna fisheries in Indonesia in a way that is environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, and economically inclusive. In 2023 alone, our work with the Indonesia Tuna Consortium saw:
Building alliances is essential to the work we do
At IPNLF we’ve been building alliances since our inception. We are a global membership network of over 50 retailers, producers, and processors across 27 countries, all united in their commitment to sourcing responsibly caught tuna. In Indonesia, this global ambition is being turned into tangible change through locally tailored action that helps more communities reach the standards demanded by global buyers.
Private sector collaboration is needed to realise the potential of technologies
To make sure technology benefits the communities that need it most, we need to find more win-win partnerships. These can go beyond civil society and involve private sector and technology firms. Through pilot programmes with small-scale fishers in East Indonesia we’ve tested solar-powered vessel tracking devices to improve transparency and safety at sea.
In a more remote part of northern Seram, IPNLF and UNDP’s Ocean Innovation Challenge launched a 100% solar-powered ice machine, providing local fishers with a steady supply of ice, which is essential for them to secure the best price for their catch. Finding the right local private sector partner with interests that were 100% aligned was critical to the success of this project.
Measuring what matters is critical to more inclusive fisheries governance
Recognising that sustainable fisheries management must balance environmental, social, and economic dimensions, the consortium is now working with government and research institutions on 12 measurable socio-economic indicators. These will assess the social and economic impacts of Indonesia’s tuna harvest strategies, a vital step toward more inclusive fisheries governance.
Collaboration is the only way to level the playing field for one-by-one fishers
Small-scale fisheries in Southeast Asia continue to face tough competition from large industrial fleets. Scaling up one-by-one fishing and responsible sourcing requires joined up efforts. We need civil society organisations, NGOs, and governments, to work together to level the playing field.
As momentum builds around inclusive and responsible business practices, initiatives like the Indonesia Tuna Consortium show how locally grounded solutions, backed by global support, can drive systemic change in fisheries, benefiting people and the planet.