Bintuni Bay in West Papua is a potential area for the fisheries sector. It is proved by the high number of fish and other marine biodiversity. Physically, the Bintuni Bay area is surrounded by mangrove forests in the north, east, and south. As a result, fishery activities are quite prospective businesses to support the lives of the surrounding community. Here is the information!
Fish Resources in Bintuni Bay
Bintuni Bay has an abundance of fish diversity due to its pristine nature. This location is also the most strategic because it is located around the mangrove. Given the high wealth of fish resources, communities can catch as many resources as they like. However, they capture using appropriate equipment and technology.
After observing, there are 106 fish species identified in several studies that have been conducted around Bintuni Bay. It consists of 69 genera, 46 families, and 12 orders. From these results, it shows that the diversity of fish in Bintuni Bay is still high. In addition, the diversity in Bintuni Bay has a significant influence on the environment which is still good.
In other words, the fishery potential in Bintuni Bay has a high value. There are quite a lot of fish resources in the West Papua environment. Thus, the composition of the catch consisted of several types of fish consisting of Pepper fish, Layur fish, and Sardines. These types of fish are the most commonly found as potential fish in Bintuni Bay. So, many people have a profession as a fisherman.
Fishery Resource Management
Many local fishermen depend on their livelihood from catching fish from Bintuni Bay. Fishermen catch fish using basic gill nets. Fishing ground to take this resource is in rivers and river mouths. According to the enumerator’s records, fish production is estimated at 39 fish/day/fisherman. At the same time, units sold in Bintuni averaged 1 kg.
The fish catch can reach a lot with the number of fishermen working. Thus, efforts to manage fishery resources in Bintuni Bay must focus on small fishermen. On the other hand, inviting the fishing industry to collect catches from local communities is also an effective way to choose. In addition, the increase in fishing companies needs to be reviewed.
It is because, in the past, the area experienced depletion of biomass due to overfishing. Thus, the potential utilization through small-scale fisheries is an effective way to sustain resources and businesses in West Papua. In this case, the development of small-scale fisheries is one alternative for good management to develop.
Most of the community should be involved in fishing and other resources in a good way. Therefore, fisheries must be concerned with society’s contributions, to significantly improve the welfare of the surrounding community. As a result, the impact of these activities will provide a higher grant to many related parties.
Maximum results are one of the excellent achievements compared to the development of the fishing industry. Community-based fisheries development provides an opportunity to improve community welfare. This activity applies to fisheries in Bintuni Bay. However, these activities must have the support of collectors who have extensive capital and a good market network.
The utilization of potential fishery resources is very high in Bintuni Bay. Based on the analysis of the catch, the fish biomass used is only around 210-248 tons per year by fishermen in the vicinity. In fact, fish resources deserve to be exploited to reach 873-911 tons per year. Therefore, alternative management of fishery resources based on ecosystems is needed.
Sustainable Fishery Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management
Ecosystem-based fisheries are an essential program to maintain their sustainability. It is critical to understand the aquatic ecosystem of Bintuni Bay, West Papua. Thus, it is necessary to apply an ecosystem approach in fisheries management in this area. Interactions in ecosystems require the identification of non-biological, biological, fisheries, and institutional resources.
One effective way is to develop marine conservation areas. Marine protected areas aim to preserve the mangrove ecosystem so that the ecological function of the ecosystem is well maintained. This ecosystem has a significant ecological role in the sustainability of fishery resources. Also, it is essential to maintain the stability of coastal ecosystems.
In addition, the development of fishery agro-industry is also a powerful way to sustain fish resources in Bintuni Bay. Fisheries agroindustry can be developed to increase the added value of local fishery products l. This method must be following the socio-economic characteristics of the local community. The ideal agro-industry in Bintuni Bay is the home industry.
The development of the agro-industry in Bintuni Bay has the potential to develop in the future. It is because fishery resources are abundant. The fisheries development agro-industry gives significant benefits to the local fishery products values. In this case, the community in Bintuni Bay, West Papua, must support this program.
All in all, all efforts to exploit the potential of fisheries in Bintuni Bay also need continuous monitoring. This step can be interpreted as a sustainable management effort of the current status of fish in Bintuni Bay and their habitat. The main goal is to manage fishery resources so that they are maintained. As a result, the diversity of fish in the area is still high in the coming years.
