At the southeastern edge of Indonesia, where land meets sea and cultures overlap, Merauke is a town shaped by its waters. Life moves slowly in this quiet part of South Papua, but beneath the calm surface lies a complex and evolving picture of fisheries, trade and community resilience.
In May 2025, a team from the ATSEA Regional Secretariat visited Merauke to better understand the region’s current fishing dynamics. The last ATSEA visit to Merauke took place in 2021 and focused on red snapper fisheries. This time, the focus shifted to cross border activities, informal trade and governance. It was also an opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces while meeting new stakeholders and learning how things have changed on the ground.
Since becoming the capital of the newly established South Papua Province in 2022, Merauke has experienced new developments in how fisheries are managed. The presence of both provincial and district level offices in the same location has created fresh opportunities for coordination, alongside new layers of bureaucracy and shared responsibility.
Accompanied by a representative from the Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance Unit (Pengawasan Sumber Daya Kelautan dan Perikanan – PSDKP), the team held discussions with 25 individuals from 14 institutions. Over the course of three days, they spoke with fishers, local authorities, researchers and business owners. Many conversations were held informally, often in offices that opened onto dusty roads or by the harbours where boats were being repaired under the shade of tarpaulins. In these spaces, stories were shared openly, offering valuable insights into the challenges faced by those who depend on the sea.
One of the most pressing issues raised was cross border fishing. Fishers from Merauke continue to cross into Papua New Guinean waters despite regulations, driven by the promise of higher catch and profit. According to local sources, a single trip lasting one to two weeks can reportedly generate revenues of up to IDR 500 million to 1 billion. However, the risks are significant. As of May 2025, around 40 Merauke fishers remained detained in Papua New Guinea along with three seized vessels. The most serious incident occurred in 2022 when a captain was fatally shot by enforcement authorities. There have also been occasional cases of fishers crossing into Australian waters, although these are less common.
Informal trade, particularly in sea cucumbers, was another topic that emerged. Indigenous Papuan (IP) fishers from Papua New Guinea are known to harvest sea cucumbers in their own waters and sell them to IP in Merauke. The catch is then transported across the border, often without formal documentation, and traded either domestically or internationally. This activity is supported by networks of local business owners, with around 20 operators reportedly involved, each running up to ten vessels. According to local accounts, the practice has been ongoing since before 2012. While long established, it has recently come under closer attention following a district-level decree that clarified sea cucumbers are not formally recognised as a Merauke commodity.
Efforts are now underway to address the situation. “We are currently working to issue the necessary legal documents to support the trade on the Indonesian side,” said Jhon Ezra, Head of the Marine and Fisheries Division. However, regulatory gaps persist in Papua New Guinea. A formal agreement between South Papua and PNG’s Western Province is seen as a promising step toward establishing a more coordinated and mutually beneficial cross-border trade.
This visit offered more than data. It provided a sense of place and a deeper understanding of how livelihoods are shaped by shifting borders, government decisions and the sea itself. Many of those the team met were open and generous with their time despite their own daily pressures. Across agencies and communities, there was a shared willingness to find practical and workable solutions.
As a regional programme involving four countries, ATSEA is well placed to support this kind of collaboration. By facilitating dialogue, sharing knowledge and bringing different perspectives together, ATSEA can help ensure that transboundary fisheries and trade are managed sustainably and fairly.
Field engagements like this help bridge the gap between regional strategies and local realities. They serve as a reminder that behind every statistic is a community, a fisher, a family and a shared responsibility to protect the ocean that connects us all.
By Casandra Tania