South East Sulawesi handline yellowfin tuna

Location & History

Handline fishing has been a staple in Indonesia for as long as tuna fishing has existed. Over the years it has changed only a little with new technology and vessel design from the Philippines, which became popular in the early '90s. In 2017, IPNLF partnered with a local, sustainable tuna fisheries organization, AP2HI to divide national fisheries into several smaller fisheries based on their geographic area. The smaller fisheries could then work on individual improvements to ensure that sustainability targets were met, without adjacent tuna fisheries compromising these efforts. This fishery operates in Southeast Sulawesi, home of the Wakatobi National Park - the largest coral reef system in Indonesia.

How is the Tuna Caught?

All the catch from this fishery is caught using the traditional handline technique, wherein each fisherman uses a single line with a hook attached, to catch one fish at a time. Catch rates are monitored upon returning to shore, to ensure that vessels do not exceed their limits of tuna catch and are remaining sustainable. While vessel sizes vary, their crews can range from just one individual to a group of 15 local fishermen. While vessel sizes vary, their crews can range from just one individual to a group of 15 local fishermen. A typical fishing trip will be anywhere from one-day to two-weeks, and can catch between 70 KG to 3,000 KG of yellowfin tuna depending on the size of the vessel - that’s between 500 and 20,000 cans of tuna! Using brightly coloured lures in a technique called “jigging”, small, live fish and squid are caught at the beginning of the fishing trips to be used as bait for the tuna. The fishery is very selective, which means it catches only skipjack or yellowfin tuna (95% of the catch). Non-target species (also known as bycatch) are animals that the fishery doesn’t want to catch, such as dolphins, turtles or sharks. The use of a single hook and line per fisherman means that there is very little bycatch, and because fishing takes place at the surface of the ocean, there is virtually no negative impact on different marine habitats. Fishers use an ice slurry to store the tuna, to maintain freshness before returning to land. Upon return, the catch will be transported to a local factory to be processed into fresh or frozen tuna products such as tuna loins, steaks, saku block, poke cubes, and minced tuna.

Unique Features

The fishery provides jobs for local communities both at sea as fishermen, and on land in the processing sector, which enhances economic growth and opportunity across the community.