Implementing Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in Indonesia

To move from ecosystem approaches in fisheries management (EAFM) to ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), managers, scientists, and fishing communities need to adapt current management systems rooted in single-species assessments and integrate new or additional ecosystem indicators in these assessments. In a previous project on Benchmarks for Ecosystem Assessment, an expert Working Group made of scientists, managers, and policymakers from four countries—United States, Chile, Australia, and India—identified three indicators that characterize ecosystem structure and function: topology, resiliency, and distortive pressure. These indicators can be collated from existing data and assessed under current management infrastructure. When combined, they produce an Ecosystem Traits Index (ETI) score that signals ecosystem health, allowing managers to more easily identify when an ecosystem is under stress and what actions they should take.

In this project, the Lenfest Ocean Program is supporting a team of researchers and practitioners led by Dr. Irfan Yulianto and Dr. Heidi Retnoningtyas with Rekam Fisheries Resource Center of Indonesia, to better align Indonesian fisheries with the principles of EBFM by integrating indicators of ecosystem structure and function into the management of small-scale fisheries in Saleh Bay, Indonesia.

To complement this project, we’ve created a standalone video of Dr. Beth Fulton’s overview of the Ecosystem Traits Index (ETI), originally shared during a webinar. Her clear and compelling summary helps explain how ETI—developed through a previous Lenfest-supported working group—provides a practical framework for assessing ecosystem health by combining indicators of structure and function. This context sets the stage for understanding how researchers in Indonesia are applying ETI to move from ecosystem approaches to fully ecosystem-based fisheries management in Saleh Bay.