On 12 and 13 August 2020, NCU Indonesia attended two meetings with the Fishery Management Authority of the Fisheries Management Area of the Republic of Indonesia (LPP WPPNRI) to update the operational guidelines for LPP WPPNRI and to discuss the EAFM assessment of red snapper fisheries in Aru Islands and WPPNRI 718.
On the first day the LPP WPPNRI focused on revising the technical operational guidelines and reminding participants that the written guidelines, regulated by the MMAF, are to be used as reference by stakeholders involved in the implementation of fisheries management in the WPPNRI.
(Credit: ATSEA-2)
On the second day, the meeting focused on supporting the implementation of the Red Snapper EAFM Action Plan towards a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in Aru regency, Maluku province. Through a presentation of the pre-assessment results it was noted that there are 20 species of red snappers that represent the largest catch in the Arafura Sea, and that these catches are mostly distributed outside of the WPPNRI 718 region. The MSC pre-assessment also highlighted that overall, the ecosystem of the region would qualify as being fairly good, and for the fisheries status and management requiring further improvements.
(Credit: ATSEA-2)
Through these two meetings, NCU Indonesia were able to get feedback and guidance from project partners, which will allow for the programme at the national level to progress in their activities.