Energy consumption of traditional fishing vessels in Palabuhanratu, Indonesia

Indonesian fisheries, which are predominantly artisanal, have provided 54% of the animal protein intake to the country’s population, accounted for 2% of the employment absorption and increased the fisher’s prosperity index by 8.7% from 2014 to 2020. However, their operations have a significant environmental impact, including the fish resource depletion and intensive energy use. Sustainably managing these fishing operations is an essential yet complex task given the requirements to proportionally account for fish resources, fishing technology and fisheries organisations. This paper focuses on the energy intensity of these operations which is particularly important given its correlation with operational costs, productivity and environmental impact. Data was collected from fieldwork in Palabuhanratu, one of the fishing regions in Indonesia which has an artisanal fishing fleet counting hundreds of vessels and is typical of many fishing regions in Indonesia and other developing nations. A comparative study was conducted on the four principal types of vessels operated in Palabuhanratu Bay, pelagic Danish seiners, hand liners, trammel netters and lift net fishing units. Statistics published by the fishing port were used to conclude that trammel netters, which are targetting demersal species, are the most energy intensive and that, in general, the artisanal fisheries in Palabuhanratu are less energy efficient compared to those in developed countries. Analysis of internal and external factors of fishing operations showed that the socioeconomic characteristic of this fishery determined the management measures taken to improve the energy efficiency.