Ber-IKAN

Project Overview

The USAID Ber-IKAN Activity is focused on increasing the resilience of Indonesia’s marine ecosystem which will help preserve its biodiversity and support local livelihoods and economic growth across the region.

Specifically, this project is working to strengthen the local fisheries management system to advance the protection of marine biodiversity, apply more responsible fishing practices, and reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfishing, and destructive fishing.

The project’s ultimate objective is to set a new model for effective fisheries management, influencing global practices and contributing to both local prosperity and global marine conservation.

Challenge

Water makes up 75 percent of the territory of this archipelagic country; the fishing industry is hugely important to Indonesia’s economy. Indonesia faces many challenges to sustainably managing its fisheries. Its fish stock status is generally considered to be “fully” or “over” exploited. Challenges include:

• Comprising of 90 percent of Indonesia's fishing fleet, small-scale fisheries lack effective management and reliable data for establishing appropriate sustainable fisheries management, making these fisheries vulnerable to climate change, natural disasters, and market distortion.
• Endangered, Threatened, and Protected (ETP) marine species are threatened by illegal and unsustainable fishing practices which are exacerbated by limited monitoring and enforcement capacities.
• Because certification is expensive and does not necessarily result in a better price or increased market share, the Indonesian fishing industry often views certification as an unneeded added expense. Inadequate regulations and market incentives further contribute to unsustainable practices.
• Gender disparities persist in the sector. Women's roles are often legally and socially marginalized and unrecognized.

Solution

USAID Ber-IKAN assists Indonesia in protecting its marine biodiversity by supporting sustainable and equitable management for fisheries.

In particular, the project helps improve adoption of, and compliance with, evidence-based fisheries policies for priority fisheries; strengthening small-scale fisheries (SSF) governance; increasing government and market-based incentives for sustainable seafood products; and improving protection of ETP marine species affected by fishing practices.

USAID Ber-IKAN is helping to improve fisheries management by applying an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. This process includes the co-design, implementation, and adaptation of partnership-based and market-driven incentives for sustainable fisheries management. USAID Ber-IKAN promotes investments that expand market access and strengthen the livelihoods of SSF and fishing communities, especially those representing women, youth, indigenous people, and minority groups.