Merauke District in South Papua Province is one of the key fishing hubs in Indonesia’s Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 718. The region borders Papua New Guinea and the Arafura Sea, and is home to thousands of fishers whose lives depend on the sea. Yet amid their daily routines at sea, not every fishing net makes its way back to shore.

To understand how Abandoned, Lost or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) occurs and how fishers manage it, the ATSEA team and IPB University conducted a field survey from 10 to 17 September 2025. The assessment took place in Samkai, Kamahedoga, and Kumbe Villages through interviews with fishers, vessel crews, port authorities, and local government officials.

Data from the Nusantara Fishing Port (Pelabuhan Perikanan Nusantara-PPN) in Merauke recorded 388 active fishing vessels as of August 2025. This growing activity contributes significantly to the local economy but also increases the risk of gear loss at sea. The Head of PPN Merauke, Susanto Masita, explained that most vessels are already aware of the need to bring back plastic waste, although storage facilities for used nets are still lacking. “There used to be a SeaNet Program that collected used nets, but now the facilities are no longer available,” he said.

In the field, fishers shared various reasons for losing their nets. Rusman, a crew member of the motorboat Cahaya Rejeki, said nets are often lost when deployed near border waters. “If they’re gone, we can’t get them back,” he said. Another fisher, Ilyas Alexander Gebze, added that nets set near mangrove areas are easily swept away by currents or snagged by passing boats. “When they drift off, it’s almost impossible to find them,” he added. 

Sija, chief engineer of the motorboat Davonsoro, described how nets sometimes tear when caught on rocks on the seabed. “Sometimes we see nets floating, but we don’t take them in because it’s risky,” he said. His colleague Johanes noted that old or damaged nets are usually left along the Maro Riverbank. “There’s no place to store them,” he added.

In Kumbe Village, fishers like Sandi continue to travel long distances to reach their fishing grounds. He showed his boat, patched in many places after incidents at sea. “Even when the catch is small, we still go. We don’t have much choice,” he said. Damaged net fragments are often discarded at sea because there are no disposal facilities available on boats or at the port. 

Limited facilities remain a major challenge in handling fishing gear waste. According to Isman Elvianto from the Merauke Environmental Agency, placing containers around the port could help manage discarded nets, but the current number of containers is insufficient. “The need is quite large, so we have to prioritise which areas to cover first,” he explained.

The survey found that awareness among fishers about the impact of discarded nets on the marine environment is growing, but support systems remain inadequate. The absence of collection and storage facilities means that many nets still end up in the sea or rivers. This highlights that the issue of ALDFG is not only about lost gear, but also about management systems that have yet to fully take shape.

Preventive measures in places like Merauke can start with small steps, such as providing storage facilities for used nets at ports and promoting collection practices within fishing communities. For coastal fishers, a lost net is more than just a missing tool. It is part of the complex balance between sustaining livelihoods and caring for the sea that sustains them.

By Burhanuddin (IPB University)