cfi-indonesia.id. The 10th National Seminar on Capture Fisheries and the 2024 National Seminar on Fisheries and Marine Management held in Mataram, Lombok on September 11, 2024 raised the theme “Maintaining the Availability of Fish Resources Stocks with an Ecosystem Approach to Support the Realization of Blue Food Indonesia”. This seminar is part of the National Seminar on Marine and Fisheries II, a collaboration between the Marine Science Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mataram together with the Capture Fisheries Consortium Partnership Forum (FK2PT) and the Sustainable Fisheries Management Scientific Forum (FIP2B) of NTB Province.

GEF 6 CFI Indonesia was involved as the main sponsor in this event as a form of support for the dissemination and knowledge of Ecosystem Approach Fisheries Management (EAFM) in the form of strategic discussions on sustainable marine resource management in Indonesia. This activity is in line with the mission of GEF 6 CFI which always strives to strengthen coastal fisheries management and preserve marine ecosystems. Through this seminar, we emphasize the importance of multi-stakeholder involvement, including government, academia, coastal communities, and also the private sector in managing sustainable marine resources.

On the same occasion, GEF 6 CFI Indonesia also participated in displaying several products at its booth, which were the products of the project's Assisted Groups from Southeast Maluku and West Papua. These products include shredded fish, fish gutatos, and ecoprints which are currently the project's flagship products.

Dr. Agus Suherman, Chairman of FK2PT and Chairman of the Association of Fisheries Scholars (ISPIKANI) said that his involvement in organizing this event was to take a role in contributing to the realization of justice and welfare of the marine and fisheries community. This activity is expected to take place on an ongoing basis in responding to issues in the marine and fisheries sector, especially those related to sustainable capture fisheries.

“There is no economy if there is no ecology, so I think these two things are very important. Although he could not attend in person, the Minister of KKP conveyed in a video recording of his remarks that the seminar this morning was very important and strategic, especially being held in West Nusa Tenggara. This National Seminar is part of the pentaheliks collaboration,” he said.

In the same place, the Rector of Mataram University, Prof. Bambang Hari Kusumo expressed his gratitude to the sponsors who supported and attended the event, one of which was GEF 6 CFI Indonesia. According to him, the fisheries sector has a great effect on economic development in NTB. Indonesia has a very large sea and has tremendous potential that can be felt.

“Indonesia's coastline is thousands of kilometers, the coral reefs are so wide and large, the potential of mangroves and the potential of our fisheries, especially capture fisheries, is also very extraordinary. If we look at NTB alone, the fishery potential can be seaweed and lobster. But there is also another potential that has long developed, namely the potential of pearls. In the past, before the utilization of pearl commodities, there were no pearl craftsmen in NTB. But after the development of pearl cultivation in NTB waters, we are now the largest pearl craftsmen,” he added.

The 6th Global Environment Facility (GEF) project of the Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) program or abbreviated as GEF 6 CFI Indonesia, is a collaboration between the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) GEF Agency to implement the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in Eastern Indonesia through Components A, B, and D.