12th International Marine Design Conference 2015 Proceedings Volume 3

Design of Sustainable Fishing Vessels,

Future Challenges for the Indonesian Fisheries
P. A. Wibawa 1, R. W. Birmingham1, M. D. Woodward1

ABSTRACT
This paper considers how the existing condition of fisheries sector and local fishing communities in
Indonesia will affect the design of fishing vessels which can support the achievement of sustainability of the
fisheries sector. Obstacles that can inhibit the implementation of sustainable development on fishing vessel
will be defined.

KEY WORDS
Fishing vessel; Sustainable; Design

INTRODUCTION
Fishing has been the principal livelihood of coastal communities in Indonesia for many centuries. However, the over-
exploitation of fish resources and a decrease in the quality of the marine environment over the last few decades has
endangered the existence of the fisheries sector in this archipelagic country. In order to maintain fisheries as being the main
livelihood for the great many coastal communities and to guarantee food security for both current and future generations, it is
important to undertake significant attempts to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries sector in Indonesia.

One of the main components that should be taken into account to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries sector is the
existence and attributes of the fishing fleet. As the tool for production in this sector, the conditions of the fishing vessels
influence not only the economical aspect of the fishing communities but also the sustainability of the fishing activity.
Therefore the necessity for an improved fishing fleet that can support attempts to maintain the continuity of the fisheries
sector in Indonesia becomes urgent.

Based on the current condition of the fisheries sector and the various fishing vessels in Indonesia, this paper will discuss the
condition of the Indonesian fishing communities and their fishing vessels and its complex challenges in the future.
Furthermore, it will consider how these circumstances will affect the design of new fishing vessels, so that these craft are best
able to meet the demands of the current and future fisheries sector in a sustainable way.

CURRENT CONDITION OF THE INDONESIAN FISHERIES

Potentials and Problems

With about 104,000 kilometres of coastline and 3,265,000 km2 of adjacent sea area (MMAF 2014a), Indonesia has an
enormous potential benefit from both renewable and non-renewable ocean resources. This includes fish resources that can be
exploited for the general welfare of Indonesian society. This vast potential of fish resources makes Indonesia one of the top
nations in capture fisheries in the world, with the country placed second behind China in capture fish production in 2012
(FAO 2014). These fish resources have been and are being exploited by an enormous number of fishers throughout the
Indonesian waters. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) there were about
2,741,000 individual fishers involved along the Indonesian coastline in 2012, operating approximately 616,690 fishing
vessels (MMAF 2013).

In spite of the immense national production from capture fisheries, the average production by individual fishers is actually
reasonably low. Most fishers in Indonesia are involved in small-scale fisheries and operate small fishing boats having a
relatively low level of technology on board. Of the fishing vessels operating along the whole Indonesian coastline in 2012,
roughly 90% were noted to be small craft of up to 5GT; whilst approximately 28% of these vessels had no engine on-board

1
School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, UK.

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(MMAF, 2013). Based on this condition most of the fishers commonly operate quite close to the coastline and only undertake
one day fishing trips (MMAF 2014).

The decline in the fish stock in many traditional fishing grounds, in particular in areas that are close to the coastline, is the
major problem confronting many local fishers in Indonesia. The decrease in the quality of the local marine environment and
the consequences of overfishing are believed to be the principal reasons for this deteriorating condition (Heazle and Butcher
2007; Patlis 2007; FAO 2010; MMAF 2014). The reduced amount of fish stock in certain fishing grounds have been forcing
fishers, in many fishing communities, to fish further from their home ports, and with more days at sea to obtain better catches
per fishing trip. With their existing fishing vessels, fishing longer and further without any appropriate improvement of the
fishing vessels can lead to other problems. It obviously increases the operational costs of the vessels that eventually reduces
fishers’ profits and moreover, it can result in an escalation of the risks that the crews are confronted with during such
extended fishing operations.

Challenges for Indonesian fisheries in the future

As the fisheries are the main source of revenue for most coastal communities in Indonesia, ensuring the sustainability of this
sector is thus crucial in order to maintain the livelihood for millions of people along the Indonesia coastline and, at the same
time, to ensure the steady supply of valuable protein for human consumption in Indonesia. The existence of the fisheries
sector is clearly affected by the availability of fish resources that can be continuously exploited. Therefore, the future
challenge for the Indonesian fisheries is in how to establish various activities that can promote and support the preservation of
fish resources throughout the entire Indonesian fishing grounds.

In addition to providing for the domestic market, Indonesian fish products are also destined for the international market. As
export commodities, fish products should satisfy international quality and standards, in order to be accepted by international
markets. The increase in international concerns related to the source of fish products, and as to how sustainable the fishing
methods are that are used to catch the fish, has resulted in an increase in international demand for the certification or eco-
labelling of fish products (Potts and Haward 2007). This is another challenge that the Indonesian fisheries sector should
anticipate in the near future.

The sustainability of fish resources can be achieved by introducing and accepting responsible fishing practices amongst
fishers, which include using more environmentally friendly fishing methods and also by employing various suitable
technologies on fishing vessels that have a less negative impact on the marine environment (FAO 1995). The enormous
challenge for the Indonesian fisheries is to find appropriately designed fishing vessels with proper user-friendly technologies
on-board that could fulfil the actual and latent requirements of local fishers and adapt to current conditions within the
fisheries, whilst at the same time provide capabilities covering the requirements for future conditions.

SUSTAINABLE FISHING VESSELS

Concept of Sustainable Development

Natural resources have been exploited for centuries in order to fulfil the needs of human beings. The huge world-wide
increase in the human population and the relentless growth in their needs are believed to have led to the over-exploitation of
many of the world’s natural resources. As a consequence, this has eventually endangered the continuing existence of a
considerable amount of nature’s resources (WCED 1987; Garner 1996; Fricker 1998). The increase in awareness of the need
for sustainability of natural resources, in order to maintain the benefits for current and future generations of people globally,
was the reason for the introduction of the concept of sustainable development. The World Commission on Environment and
Development in their report (better known as Brundtland Report) defined sustainable development as being development that
accomplishes the necessities of the current generation and at the same time ensures that future generations can also have their
needs met in an equitable manner. Furthermore, this report stated that:
“Sustainable development is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of
investment, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and
enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations” (WCED 1987, p.46)

According to this report, the main purpose of sustainable development is the fulfilment of people’s needs and aspirations. In
order to achieve the basic requirements of people, and furthermore, the possibility of reaching the optimum level of their
aspirations, requires economic growth. The concern with sustainable development on economic growth is how to ensure

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equity of growth amongst society, and moreover, how to guarantee that economic growth has a minimum effect on the
environment.

A further aspect that has become a concern of sustainable development is related to the implementation of technologies. The
Brundtland Report suggests that there should be a reorientation of technology in sustainable development and that the
improvement and implementation of technology should have greater concern with regards to environmental issues; hence, it
is not only focused on the economic aspects. According to this report, the selection of technologies should consider
technologies that have the least possible negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, the invention and improvement of
technologies needs to be performed continuously, especially for developing countries, so that they can effectively respond to
the requirements of sustainable development.

With regards to the exploitation of resources, the exploitation of renewable resources, such as fish stocks should consider the
capability of the resources to be renewed naturally. The Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) of the resources should be
defined and should be used as guidance for limiting the exploitation of the resources. For non-renewable resources, fossil
fuels for instance, their exploitation should consider alternative resources and technology that can minimise the exploitation
of resources (WCED 1987).

Based on the aforementioned description, in general, sustainable development requires consideration of social, economic and
environmental aspects during the development. These three aspects are better known as being the ‘three pillars of
sustainability’ and have become the supporting pillars for building and maintaining sustainability. Therefore, any measures in
sustainable development should reflect the implementation of these three essential pillars.

General requirement for Sustainable Fishing Vessels

In terms of the fisheries sector, sustainable development has become very important given that it is related to food security
and the alleviation of poverty, especially for fishers who are involved in relatively small-scale fisheries in developing
countries (FAO 2014b). In order to achieve the sustainable development of the fisheries sector, the entire components of this
sector should be involved, including the fishers as being the main stakeholders and moreover, the fishing vessels as being the
prime tool that is used to undertake fishing activities.

As one of the sources of protein for human consumption in the world, fish stocks have been exploited for centuries. The
increase in the awareness of the sustainability of fish resources has arisen due to considerable evidence regarding the
depletion of fish stocks in many areas of the world and the decrease in the quality of the marine environment due to the effect
of fishing activities. The rapid and uncontrolled exploitation of fish resources is believed to be the principle reason in the
depletion of fish stocks and furthermore, could endanger the sustainability of fish resources in the future (FAO 1995)

In order to ensure the sustainability of fish resources and in-line with the reorientation of technology according to the concept
of sustainable development, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in The Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries recommends the establishment of any measures in member countries that will help to minimise the
negative effects of fishing activities on the environment. These measures include the selection and application of appropriate
technologies on-board that can minimise any negative impact on the marine environment. For instance by minimising the
emissions produced by fishing activities and, furthermore, by employing energy efficiently during the operation of any
applied technologies on-board. (FAO 1995)

However, any measures to minimise the effect of fishing activities on the environment including the selection of appropriate
technologies on board, should also take into account how these measures influence the economic and social aspects of the
fishing activities (Umeda 2002; Utne 2008; Crilly and Esteban 2013)

Based on the concept of sustainable development, hence the development of fishing vessels should consider the
implementation of the three pillars of sustainability for the entire life cycle of the vessel. In terms of the social aspect,
sustainable fishing vessels should be able to fulfil the requirements of the fishers, as being the operators of their crafts. The
fishers should not have any additional difficulties in operating their vessels and it should allow the fishers to be able to
improve their competencies in all aspects of operating these vessels. The vessels also need to maintain the highly individual
local culture or local identity as is required by local fishing communities. Considering the economic aspect, the fishing craft
should be able to provide a reasonable through-life profit to the fishers and incur affordable operational, maintenance and
constructional costs for local fishers. Finally, in terms of the environmental aspect, the initial construction, operation and
eventual end-of-life disposal of the boats should have slight or no negative impact on the environment.

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DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHING VESSELS

In order to develop fishing vessels that can support the sustainability of the fisheries sector, it is important to define the ideal
design requirements of sustainable fishing vessels. The ideal design requirements are required as being the guiding principles
for the designer to help to develop the vessels of appropriate size and configurations in accordance with the various mission
profiles; hence, the success in developing these fishing vessels will be determined by the far-sighted accuracy of identifying
the fundamental design requirements of the vessels.

The existence of traditional fishing vessels in one fishing community commonly have a long history. The vessels have not
been designed in a conventional methods, however being an inheritance, they have been developed over centuries based on
local problems, resources and knowledge. Regardless of how they have been developed, most of these local fishing vessels to
some extent have fulfilled the requirements of the local fishing communities (Birmingham and Sampson 2001). Moreover,
the interaction of the local communities with the fishing vessels for many years or even centuries means that the vessels are
not only devices for earning a profit but they also represent the local identity of the individual fishing communities as culture
artefact (Rosyid and Johnson 2005).

Based on these circumstances, it is important to understand the connection between a group of fishing vessels and the
communities that operate them when developing fishing vessels for specific local fishing communities. If we learn from the
FAO programmes during the 1970s and the 1980s when new fishing vessel designs and new alternative technologies were
being introduced into fishing fleets in many developing countries, the results demonstrated that there was no specific single
design arrangement that could be successfully applied to entire fishing communities in all of the participant countries. In
addition, the new technologies did not always operate or yield results as well as expected, and in some cases, the
implementation of new advanced technologies resulted in creating new challenges for individual local fishing communities.
This illustrates that often each fishing community had its own specific requirements that needed to be fulfilled and these
would affect the local fishers’ acceptance of the design of the boats and of the technologies applied on-board. For instance, as
the results from the FAO programme illustrate, local fishers in India and Sri Lanka prefer to operate Fibre Reinforced Plastic
(FRP) single hull fishing vessels; whereas catamarans built with aluminium alloy were more acceptable to fishers in Western
Samoa (Gulbrandsen 1988).

The examples resulting from the FAO programme indicate that in addition to the conventional factors which are more related
to technical and economic issues, there are other factors that also influence the success of a design. Based on the results from
the FAO programmes, Gulbrandsen (1988) listed the factors that should be considered when designing fishing vessels,
especially for vessels that are designed for specific communities. This list, as shown in Figure 1, demonstrates that social
aspects, such as the requirements of the individual fishing communities and social traditions also need to be considered when
design fishing vessels.

However, as fishing vessels have become one of the main factors involved in achieving sustainable development in the
fisheries sector, it requires the implementation of the three pillars of sustainability. As a consequence, the design
requirements need to reflect each component of the three pillars. Moreover, various developments in the fisheries sector,
including the continuous improvements in fishing technologies, the enactment of new national and international regulations
related to fisheries and fishing vessels, and, moreover, the increased requirements placed on the fishing boats, also need to be
considered during the design of the new boats. Therefore, it requires more complex inter-related design requirements in order
to design sustainable fishing vessels. Based on the three pillars of sustainability and changes to the constraints that should be
considered when developing fishing vessels, more complex design requirements and considerations for designing fishing
vessels have been devised by the authors as given in Table 1. This table consists of four groups of design requirements and
considerations, namely: fish resources, fishers, fishing vessels and regulations.

• Fish Resources
Fishing Gears• • Available Materials
Speed Limit• • Available Engines & Fuel
Size Limitation, Shallow Draft• • Skill for Building and
Catch Preservation• Maintenance
Fishing Vessels
Distance to Fishing Grounds• • Crew’s Skill
Markets• • Number of Crew and
Social Traditions• Accommodation
• Need of Fishing Community

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Figure 1: Factors affecting the design of a fishing vessel (Gulbrandsen 1988)

Table 1: Design requirements and considerations

Design Requirements
• Size and species of fish allowed to be caught
• Size and type of fishing gear allowed to be operated
Resources • Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs)
Fish

• Allocation of fishing grounds based on the size of the vessel

• The existence of Marine Protection Areas

• Fishers’ competencies • Local culture and practices

• Fishers’ economic background • Ownership & financing structure
Fishers

• Fishers’ preferences • Organization or management of crews

• Fishers’ awareness and views
related to environment, social
and economic issues
• Method of fishing • Fish handling and preservation
Fishing Vessels

• Fishing capacity systems

• Size of the crews • Powering and propulsion system
• Duration of fishing trip • Supporting technology on board
• Distance to fishing ground • Health and safety environment
• Geographical characteristics • Market and supply chain support
• Construction material • Technical support for technology
• Regulations related to environmental issues
Regulations

• Regulations related to health and safety

• Regulations related to the structure of the vessel
• Regulations related to fishers/seafarers

The “fish resources” group contains the design requirements and considerations related to aspects that should be taken into
account in order to ensure the sustainability of fish resources and the preservation of the marine environment. The “fishers”
group contains the requirements related to the characteristics of local fishers themselves and their individual respective
communities that need to be considered when developing fishing boats. The group consisting of “fishing vessels” contains
the requirements related to the technical aspects of the design of the boats. The last group is related to the “regulations” that
must be considered and satisfied during the design stages.

CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE FISHING VESSELS FOR INDONESIA

Current Conditions of Indonesian Fishing Vessels

In order to obtain a description with regards to the current conditions of existing fishing vessels in Indonesia, an interview
based study was undertaken in three selected fishing communities; two fishing communities in East Java province and a
fishing community in Maluku province. These three fishing communities have been recognised as being essentially the centre
of the capture fisheries in Indonesia. Each fishing community has different fishing practices, for instance in the type of
fishing gears, the typical length of fishing trips and, furthermore, they operate in different Fisheries Management Areas
(FMAs). The locations of the three selected fishing communities are shown below in Figure 2.

The interviews were undertaken with 73 individual fishers from within the three fishing communities. In addition to
identifying the current technologies employed on-board their boats, the fishers’ opinions were elicited regarding the level of
implementation of health and safety practices in their working environment, and in addition their awareness of the condition
of the fisheries sector in their region was also discussed. Based on the results from the interviews and actual observations
made on local fishing vessels, the technologies that are employed in current fishing vessels can be identified, as illustrated in
Figure 3.

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Figure 3 illustrates that the type of technologies that are currently employed on-board the existing fishing vessels in the three
selected fishing communities are quite simple. Wood still remains as being the main choice to use as construction material, as

Figure 2: Selected fishing communities (Source: adapted from http://d-map.com/)

shown in Fig. 3.a, especially for fishing vessels in East Java, although it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain the high-
quality wood that is normally used as the main construction material. In term of main engine, second hand truck engines or
other normally non-marine diesel engines are the top choice for powering craft in East Java, while the fishers in Maluku
generally are employing marine-use outboard engines for their vessels (Fig. 3.b). Figure 4.b below show how the non-marine
diesel engine is mounted on traditional fishing vessels in one selected fishing community in East Java.

Using block-ice is the most common method for fish catch preservation, as shown in Fig. 3.c, particularly for local fishers in
East Java, even for those that go further afield fishing for more than two weeks; however, as fishing trips for local fishers in
Maluku are generally only for a few hours duration, most of them never take ice on-board. In order to attract fish to their
vessel, most local fishers in these three fishing communities employ a considerable number of bright lights on-board;
therefore, they require high power electrical sources on their fishing vessels. For this purpose, local fishers prefer to use an
alternator that is coupled either to the main engine or by employing a separate diesel generator (Fig. 3.d).

The use of electronic devices to assist in fishing operations is still uncommon for many fishing communities in Indonesia. For
example, fishers that go fishing for only one day or less prefer to navigate using natural visible signs, such as a specific
landmark in order to guide them during their fishing trip rather than to use a Global Positioning System (GPS). In order to
locate schools of fish, local fishers still rely on the acquired skill of the skipper rather than to use a “fish finder”. In order to
have a better overall observation viewing point on-board for the skipper, some local fishing vessels have a physically higher
position on-board that is prepared for the skipper to best observe the fish schooling, as shown in Figure 4.a.

a) Construction Material b) Powering

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c) Fish Preservations d) Electrical

Figure 3: Existing technologies on local fishing vessels at three selected fishing communities

a) c)

d)

b)

a) Shelter for skipper b) Outboard diesel engine c) Accommodation d) Galley

Figure 4: Typical fishing vessels in the selected fishing communities

Regarding the level of implementation of health and safety requirement in the working environment, the interview results
identified that the local fishers’ awareness of this aspect are still very poor. Although all of the respondents were aware of the
inherent risks in their work, almost all the respondents did not have any standard safety equipment on their fishing vessels.
Most of the local fishing boats also have no proper sheltered accommodation and galley on-board, as illustrated in Figure 4.c
and 4.d, even for fishing vessels that operate for more than two weeks away in one trip. The local fishers typically argue that
they do not need any particular suitable place to sleep given that most of their time on-board is spent in working.

The depletion of fish stocks in many fishing grounds has become a concern for the local fishers in the three selected fishing
communities. According to the interviews, all the respondents are aware of the overfishing that has led to the depletion of the
fish stocks and of how this condition is affecting their livelihood. However, the pressures on their home economy is the main
reason for local fishers continue with their current fishing practices knowing that in fact this frequently endangers the fish
stocks.

The Potential Obstacles to the Design of Sustainable Fishing Vessels for Indonesia

Based on the design requirements given in Table 1 and the current conditions of the Indonesia fisheries and fishing vessels, it
is difficult to meet some of the requirements when developing new build sustainable fishing boats for use in Indonesia. The
complex characteristics of each fishing community, the education level and economic background of the local fishers, and,
moreover, the rudimentary overall infrastructure means that the approach must be made quite specific for each fishing
community when developing sustainable fishing vessels. The potential obstacles and factors that should be considered when
developing sustainable fishing vessels are described below.

With regard to the fishers as being the owners and operators of the vessels, the characteristics of the local fishers and their
local fishing communities, including their educational and economic backgrounds, are amongst the components that need to
be understood when designing individual fishing vessels for specific communities. Identifying the needs of local fishers and
fishing communities and translating these into the design requirements for the fishing boats becomes a significant challenge.

The relative basic level of education and associated competencies of the local fishers will influence their perceptions of the
attributes of a vessel and eventually their acceptance of any new technology incorporated in the new vessels. Therefore, it
will be hard to introduce new and seemingly complicated technology. Conversely, the introduction of new technology which
is more environmentally and user friendly and more efficient, but is seen to be unaffordable, will also reduce local fishers’
acceptance of it. In this case, the selection of suitable technology during the design stages should thus carefully consider the
human factors aspects of the local fishers as being the operators of the technology.

The relatively low level of awareness of the fishers in relation to environmental issues is another obstacle. The operating of
fishing gears that endanger the marine environment, damaging the seabed for instance, is still common in many fishing
grounds in Indonesia. The fishers tend to be more concerned about how effective the fishing gears are in catching fish rather
than in whether or not the gear will have a detrimental impact on the environment when they select it for their vessels.
Regarding the design requirements, identifying proper fishing gear is become more challenging with respect to this particular
case.

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Issues related to ensuring adequate health and safety aspect in the working environment is another challenge that is relatively
difficult to overcome. The lack of fishers’ awareness in health and safety issues is the main problem in implementing and
creating a robust health and safety environment on-board vessels and throughout each fishing trip. In contrast to local fishers
understanding in relation to the risks associated with their activities on-board, their awareness about using safety equipment
and applying safety standards is still very low. Providing better and comprehensive safety equipment on board will be
ineffective without any improvement in the crews’ knowledge and willingness to use such equipment and their accountability
in implementing health and safety standards in their working environment.

In terms of fish resources, the provision of formal regulations and guidance related to any attempt to ensure the sustainability
of fish resources still needs to be completed. Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs), for instance, have not yet been regulated by
the government. The government divides the entire fishing grounds around Indonesia into 11 Fishing Management Areas
(FMA). Data related to the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is available for every FMA, and which is based on 80% of the
Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) level of fish stocks in each area (Triyono 2013). However, the TAC has not yet been
applied down to the level of fishing quotas for single fishing vessels. There are currently no restrictions on individual fishing
boats with regard to the amount or species of fish that they can catch in certain fishing grounds. Hence, the identification of a
target fishing capacity in the preliminary design stages becomes more difficult in terms of environmental concerns, as it is
more reliant on the fishers’ maximum target per fishing trip.

In connection with the technical issues related to the fishing vessels and their operations, there are few other potential
obstacles in developing sustainable fishing boats for specific fishing communities in Indonesia. The local availability of
boatyards for both construction and repair with proper capabilities in manufacturing high-quality vessels is still inadequate.
Most local boatyards use wood and apply traditional methods in the construction of these particular vessels. Regardless of
their excellent skills in constructing local fishing craft, their lack of ability to build other types of vessels based on a working
drawing inhibits the introduction of new designs for local fishing communities. Moreover, the availability of boatyards that
have capabilities in building adequate quality fishing vessels with other construction materials, such as an FRP boat, is still
very rare. Most of the existing FRP boatyards apply an open moulding system with questionable standards in constructing the
FRP vessels. These circumstances tend to result in FRP fishing boats which are often of a poor build quality, and that tend to
influence local fishers’ perceptions regarding the adequacy of FRP fishing vessels and eventually have negative effect upon
the introduction of new alternative construction materials for local fishing vessels.

Other challenge regarding various technical issues in developing fishing vessels in the country include the availability of a
robust and first-rate support infrastructure, especially for the more remote areas. Therefore, the development of fishing
vessels for specific fishing communities should consider the possibility of this situation when selecting suitable technology to
be locally applied on-board. The choice of technology should consider the local condition of the infrastructure and the
associated supply chain, e.g. of consumables and spare parts, to support the operation of the vessels. For instance, the
employment of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) as the fuel to be used in fishing vessels should consider the actual availability of
this type of fuel in the area where the fishing vessels will be based and operated from.

With regard to national regulations, there is currently a problem in the availability of comprehensive regulations related
specifically to fishing boats. For instance, national regulations or standards concerned with the safety of fishing vessels,
especially for small fishing vessels up to 24 metres in length, are not yet available (Suwardjo, et al 2010). In addition, there is
a problem in the actual enforcement of current regulations related to fisheries and fishing vessels, such as the enforcement of
regulations related to the provision of safety equipment on board, as a mandatory requirement for obtaining port clearance
before leaving a port. In fact, the strict enforcement of the regulations, particularly for artisanal fisheries, is believed to be
causing some difficulties and creating a degree of anxiety among the local fishers about the continuity of their income.

The Consequences of Obstacles to Fishing Vessel Development

According to the Brundtland Report, sustainable development requires equal consideration being made in the implementation
of each of the three pillars of sustainability: technical, economic and social issues, as this will ensure more effective support
to the creation and continuity of sustainability. However, addressing the three pillars in an equal way is quite difficult to
achieve (Sneddon, et al 2006). The requirements that need to be satisfied for one pillar often seem to conflict with the
requirements of the other pillars. For instance, an increase in the economic aspect that supports the welfare of communities as
a part of the social aspect very often has a negative impact on the environmental aspect. Therefore, conflict will always arise
depending on how complicated the problems are in the communities in relation to the three pillars. Thus this becomes a
complex balancing and trade-off problem (Hueting 1990).

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Indonesia faces similar circumstances regarding to the development of its fishing vessels in order to support the sustainability
of the overall fisheries sector. Based on the aforementioned problem, the current condition of the local fishers and their
fishing communities in attempting to achieve sustainable development in fisheries sector, including developing sustainable
fishing vessels, has become more complicated.
The requirements for more environmentally-friendly fishing operations have resulted in the selection of suitable technology
for the fishing vessels in terms of the environmental aspect. However, the economic and social aspects need to be measured
as well. In the case of the Indonesian fisheries, conflict potentially arises when considering these three pillars. As most of the
fishers in Indonesia are individually involved in small-scale fisheries, the pressure to increase the standard of living in their
relatively poor communities is the main incentive for local fishers to pay more attention to the economical aspect rather than
to environmental issues.

The application of “clean” technology, for example, tends to be more expensive for the local fishers in Indonesia. For
instance, the choice of marine-use engines for powering fishing vessels is common in the developed countries. However,
local fishers in Indonesia prefer to use second hand truck engines or non-marine diesel engines as their price is more
affordable and the engines are reasonably simple in terms of maintenance and repair.

Advanced technology incorporated in fishing vessels often aims to reduce the number of crew that are required to sail the
vessel and operate the equipment on-board. This condition is suitable for developed countries where the cost of the crews’
salaries is high. However, in the case of the Indonesian fisheries, using advanced technologies that reduce crew numbers on-
board will decrease the opportunities for local fishing communities to sustain employment levels.

In developed countries, the number of fishers has significantly reduced over the last few years, as a result of the decline in the
economic conditions in the fisheries sector, and through government programmes that are aimed at reducing the number of
fishers and fishing fleets via the decommissioning scheme and the buyback programme (Pascoe and Tigley 2010; Holland, et
al 1999). These programmes were followed by restrictions on fishing capacity by the implementation of Individual Fishing
Quotas (IFQs), restrictions on the species and size of fish which can be landed, and by limitations on the aggregate gross
tonnage and engine power at a national level (Pascoe, et al 2001). These programmes that have been undertaken in many
developed countries can help to reduce the pressure on fish stocks in their national fishing grounds; however, the
implementation of similar programmes in Indonesia tends to result in social problems. Consequently, local fishers and fishing
communities, especially those who are involved in small-scale fisheries, will quite possibly reject these constraints and ideas.

Based on the aforementioned review, there is obviously a huge challenge to achieve sustainable development in the fisheries
sector, and in developing sustainable fishing vessels in Indonesia. Priority still needs to be given to the three pillars based on
the current condition of the Indonesian fisheries. However, a continuous effort needs to be undertaken to overcome the
obstacles, in order to facilitate the achievement of sustainable development in the fisheries sector in Indonesia, in the near
future.

Approach to overcome the obstacles

Attempts to develop sustainable fishing vessels for the Indonesia fisheries sector should be supported by other activities that
are aimed to overcome the obstacles that can otherwise inhibit the achievement of the programmes. As the social aspect, in
this case the condition of the fishers and their fishing communities, influences the achievement of the other pillars in creating
sustainable development; it is therefore important to develop programmes related to the empowerment of local fishers and
their communities, producing results that are sensitive to their social and culture traditions.

These are the two key elements that can help to overcome the numerous challenges outlined above: engagement with, and
empowerment of, the fisher community; and basing proposed boat designs on developments of the existing traditional craft.

Encouraging the fishers and their communities to be completely involved, clearly for their own good, in the sustainable
development of the fisheries sector, including the development of sustainable fishing vessels is the main goal that needs to be
achieved. For that purpose, improvement in the well-being in the fishing communities is one of the main elements that need
to be developed. Increasing local fishers’ awareness regarding the importance of the preservation of the environment and its
relationship to their fishing activities, and furthermore, introducing many activities that local fishers can complete in order to
be involved in sustainable development, are among the activities that can be established during community development.
These activities include improving the competencies of local fishers in performing sustainable fishing practices and also in
confidently using alternative technologies which are more environmentally friendly, in particular to the marine environment.

In order to minimise any refusal from local fishers on the new design of fishing vessels, a good approach is to use the current
local fishing vessels as a starting point when designing fishing vessels for specific fishing communities. Traditional fishing

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vessels have been developed to adapt to the condition of local fishing ground over a long period and in some cases, it has
already had solutions for many problem related to local fishing practices. Therefore some characteristics in the traditional
fishing vessels can be retained and be improved when designing new fishing vessels for specific fishing communities.

Support from the Indonesian government is essential, in order to enact and enforce appropriate national regulations to support
sustainable development in fishing vessels and the fisheries. The government should develop an improved infrastructure,
especially for the more remote areas, with the aim of supporting appropriate facilities regarding the supply chain of
provisions and technical support for the technologies that are incorporated and applied to fishing craft. The local boatyards
also need to be improved, principally with regard to their ability to construct and maintain good quality fishing vessels in
accordance with proper approved practices and standards.

CONCLUSION
The enormous potential of fish resources in the Indonesian ocean should be exploited wisely to ensure its sustainability for
both current and future generations. Performing responsible fishing practices and developing sustainable fishing vessels are
part of the effort that should be undertaken to achieve it.

The development of fishing vessels that can support sustainable fishing practices is an enormous challenges for Indonesia.
The complex design requirements for fishing vessels, the current knowledge and educational level of Indonesian fishers, the
minimal infrastructure, and the lack of regulations lead to difficulties in accomplishing the implementation of the three pillars
of sustainability in the development of fishing vessels.

A suggested approach for designing fishing vessels for specific fishing communities in Indonesia is to use traditional fishing
vessels as a starting point in the preliminary design stage. Retaining and adapting features on traditional vessels that have
evolved as the best solutions for local problems in fishing practices, ensures that the local identity is maintained and is likely
to increase local fishers’ acceptance. However, community development among the fishing communities also needs to be
undertaken, in order to increase awareness related to sustainability of the fisheries and to enhance the competencies necessary
to address the challenge of sustainable development.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to express their gratitude to Directorate General of Higher Education (DGHE), the Indonesian Ministry of
Research, Technology and Higher Education for funding the research project through the DGHE postgraduate scholarship.

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