The urgent need of development of Fisheries Management Plan of Flying fish in Macassar Strait and Flores Sea

Flyingfish is an important commercial species in several areas of eastern Indonesia. Fishery of flyingfish has been recognized in Indonesia since last few decades. It is estimated that 5,522 households or about 27,610 residents of western and southern Sulawesian coastal areas depend on the utilisation and management of flyingfish as their major source of livelihood. The objective of the study is to analyses the flyingfish fishery in Macassar Strait and Flores Sea, including biology and socio-economic aspects. This paper concludes with a summary and recommendations for assisting the national and local government in order to develop fisheries management plan of flyingfish in that areas. In-depth interview and direct observation are data collection techniques used in this study. Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used to analysis primary and secondary data. Schaefer and Fox method was used to examine Maximum Sustainability Yield (MSY) and Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) for flyingfish in Macassar Strait and Flores Sea. Based on the data analysis, it is shown that the absent of appropriate management has resulted in inconsistent capture and production rates of flyingfish in that areas. The inconsistency in production is the first indication of unsustainable fishing practices and overfishing. This is also an indicator of the threat for the potential extinction of this species. There is an urgent need for developing fisheries management plan of flyingfish of Macassar Strait and Flores Sea in order to address the overfishing problem of flyingfish in these areas. A comprehensive study on sustainable fisheries management is needed to develop the fisheries management plan of flyingfish. The study would need to include all normal development aspects for the fishery: biological, social, cultural, economic, legal and institutional. Oseanologi dan Limnologi (OLDI) No. 35(3) /2009