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How satellites help foster sustainable fishing in Indonesia
The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry recently concluded a three-year fisheries innovation project to support fishing communities in Indonesia. The project was a public-private partnership, which included Inmarsat, a key player in global, mobile satellite communications, and the United Kingdom Space Agency.
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Fisherfolk pull in their fishing net from the waters off the east coast of Pangandaran. (JP/Arya Dipa)
F
or Indonesia, the world’s second-largest producer of seafood, the fisheries industry is a key contributor to its gross domestic product (GDP). In 2018, the fisheries sector contributed more than US$26.9 billion to Indonesia’s GDP.
However, the industry is prone to irregular and alarming dips in fish stocks as well as threats to biodiversity due to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which puts the livelihood of the fishing community at stake. Therefore, it is critical to take proactive measures to protect and sustain the fisheries industry.
With Indonesia’s long coastlines and more than 17,000 islands, it is difficult and costly to monitor vessel movements in the country’s waters. On top of that, vessel connectivity is a major issue, whereby fishers do not have connectivity out at sea. They are unable to call for help in times of emergency, leading to loss of human lives. Not to mention, they can’t connect with their families for days, making their job more challenging.
All these issues threaten the state of fisheries in Indonesia — which can be addressed by creating collaborative industry-government projects with an aim to creating a connected, safe and sustainable fishing industry.
The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry recently concluded a three-year fisheries innovation project to support fishing communities in Indonesia. The project was a public-private partnership, which included Inmarsat, a key player in global, mobile satellite communications, and the United Kingdom Space Agency.
Thanks to the partnership, satellite communications technology is supporting fishing communities in Indonesia; saving lives in distress, linking coastal families to relatives at sea and improving efficiency and sustainability.
The benefits of satellite technology are far-reaching. Regardless of the size of fishing vessels, vessel connectivity is crucial for fishers. Using satellite technology on small vessels, the project served to save lives in distress, link coastal families to relatives at sea and improve efficiency and sustainability through a dedicated Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). The tested satellite VMS system was expanded with various new applications such as surveillance and is referred to as VMS+.
