Reports
Reports
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Indonesian deep demersal fisheries for snappers (Lutjanidae) and groupers (Epinephelidae) are highly productive and of great national as well as international importance in terms of total volume, economic output and food security (Blaber et al., 2005; Cawthorn and Mariani, 2017; Dimarchopoulou et al., 2021; Wibisono et al., 2022). Snapper production in Indonesia was estimated to have contributed some 119,000 Metric Tons (MT) or 45% of the average global supply of just over 264,000 MT annually in the period 2006 to 2013 (Cawthorn and Mariani, 2017). Therewith Indonesia was by far the single largest Lutjanid-producing country in the World during that time. In a separate study on supply lines and official statistics, total snapper landings in Indonesia were estimated to reach close to 117,000 MT in 2007 (Anggraeni, 2012). Groupers make up a smaller part of total landings in the deep demersal fisheries in Indonesia, but are also of considerable economic importance due to the high price per kg for these species (Khasanah et al., 2019). Additional species in these multi-species fisheries include trevallies (Carangidae), emperors (Lethrinidae), grunts (Haemulidae), croakers (Sciaenidae) as well as species from many other co-occurring families (Dimarchopoulou et al., 2021). Snappers and groupers however are the main target species in these fisheries, which operate mostly at depths ranging between 30 and 350 meters. To differentiate from shallow water and coral reef fisheries that target the same families (but a different though somewhat overlapping spectrum of species) we will refer here to the “deep demersal fisheries for snappers and groupers” and we will focus in our assessment of these fisheries on the major target families and species. Issues of species overlap with other fisheries in Indonesia will be briefly discussed in the final chapter of this paper.
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This guide lists the 100 most common species in the deep-slope dropline and demersal longline catches in central and eastern Indonesia. This fishery operates in waters of 50-500 m depth, on the deeper parts of continental shelves and on deep slopes around canyons, sea mounts and continental shelf edges. The dropline and demersal longline fisheries are usually referred to as “snapper” fisheries, even though these fisheries target groupers (Epinephelidae) and emperors (Lethrinidae) as well as snappers (Lutjanidae). Several other families of valuable species are also common in the catch.
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This manual for identification guide for deepwater fisheries targeting snappers, groupers, and emperors in Indonesia is the result of a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, the Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and a total of 2651 captains of fishing vessels operating in Indonesia’s archipelagic waters. Focusing on the 100 most common species caught in this fishery, it complements comprehensive taxonomic identification keys such as the FAO’s The Living Marine Resources Of The Western Central Pacific2, and guides for neighboring seas such as Rome and Newman’s North Coast Fish Identification Guide3.
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This guide to length based stock assessment of the Indonesian deep demersal fisheries was prepared for Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), in support of TNC’s “SNAPPER” Fisheries Conservation Project. In the early stages of this program it was recognized that all stakeholders involved in these fisheries (including fishers, buyers, processors, traders, retailers, consumers, managers, NGO workers, government agencies, scientific and educational institutions, etc.) would benefit from the development of (1) a dedicated fish species identification guide for the Indonesian snapper fisheries, and (2) a guide that explains available tools for length-based assessment of the status and trends in these fisheries.
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Deep demersal fisheries in Indonesia yielded close to 120,000 Metric Tons of fish in 2020, landed by a fleet of just over 11,500 fishing boats, together comprising almost 63,000 Hull Gross Tons (GT-hull) of vessel volume (Mous et al., 2021). Fishing boat sizes in these fisheries range from “nano” sized canoes of less than 1 GT, up to the larger vessels measuring close to 100 GT. The deep demersal fisheries target mainly snappers, groupers, trevallies, emperors, grunts and croakers, while also catching a large variety of co-occurring species, at depths ranging between 30 and 350 meters.