Small-scale fishers’ perception of risks in Indonesia's cross-border region of North Maluku

Febrica, S. and Keradjaan, H. and Nurhidayah, L. and Gustaf, M. (2025) Small-scale fishers’ perception of risks in Indonesia's cross-border region of North Maluku. Marine Policy, 175: 106624. ISSN 0308-597X

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Abstract

This article assesses Indonesian small-scale fishers’ perception of risk. Indonesia is the second largest fish producer globally, the largest tuna producing country, and one of the top ten fish and seafood exporters in the world. Small-scale fisheries sector in Indonesia is the greatest contributor of outputs to national and international seafood markets. Thus, fisheries risk in Indonesia’s small-scale fisheries is of some import to the international community because it has direct effects on global food security and supply chains. Combining a survey of 300 fishers and semi-structured interviews, this article focuses on identifying and comparing the full range of fisheries risk as perceived by small-scale fishers working in Tobelo and Morotai regions of North Maluku, an Indonesian province located at the border between Indonesia and two neighbouring countries of the Philippines and Palau. These include risks posed by work accident, ocean crimes, and climate change. The findings show that fishers deemed that accident at work posed the most immediate threat to their livelihood and well-being. Climate change has been identified as second highest risks. Despite the presence of ocean crimes, fishers do not deem these crimes as posing immediate risks to them. However, fishers connect crimes that affect the environment with the decline of fish stocks and their income.