3rd Indonesian Shark and Ray Symposium

Region Update: Asia

Written by Ranny Yuneni

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | Asia Regional Group | Member WWF Indonesia

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | Asia Regional Group | Regional Vice-Chair Indonesia Institute of Science

Indonesia is still struggling to conserve its shark and ray populations due to a lack of robust information and accurate scientific data needed to develop conservation policies and strategies. As part of ongoing efforts to manage the global decline of shark and ray populations, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), with support from WWF Indonesia, conducted the third national shark and ray symposium virtually on April 7–8, 2021 to update data and information related to studies on sharks and rays in Indonesia with a theme of ‘Strengthening Collaboration and Synergy in Managing Shark and Ray Resources’.

This symposium was held as a platform to collect, highlight and update such imperative data as well as to identify the needs for shark and ray conservation, especially for priority species as part of the ratification of international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO). Furthermore, through this symposium, it was hoped that the need for a synergized, collaborative approach to shark and ray conservation would be recognized. The symposium also identified some supports from academics and non-governmental organizations to the government, especially in raising public awareness on the importance of sharks and rays.

Before the main event, there were several pre-workshop meetings conducted from April 5–6, 2021. One event was held in collaboration with the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF). This workshop attended by selected participants from six countries in the Coral Triangle aimed to increase their knowledge and capacity on Marine Protected Areas (MPA) for sharks and rays through Focus Discussion Groups and MPA Case study exercises.

Over 110 scientific articles were submitted and presented during the symposium, covering biology, ecology, socio-economics, management, and conservation topics. Most submitted articles focused on the biological and ecological aspects of sharks and rays (53.64%), primarily related to catch and landing data. It was also noted that the most discussed species during the symposium were the Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus), and Guitarfishes and Wedgefishes (Order Rhinopristiformes).

Indonesia has made several efforts to manage its shark and ray populations from further declines by the formulation of effective policies in implementing the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for shark and ray conservation and proposing the full protection of several threatened shark and ray species. Based on the symposium, additional recommendations were made as follows: 1) Improve efforts in collecting shark and ray data including identifying critical habitats in relation to fishing grounds, using citizen science for data collection, using extractive and non-extractive methods to obtain biological and ecological data, updating the economic evaluation of sharks and rays, and understanding the rate of domestic and international consumption levels; 2) Use a standardized and legal format in collecting and reporting national shark and ray data that needs to be centralized by each institution; 3) Strengthen shark and ray management in Indonesia, such as in bycatch mitigation, multi-regional stock-based management, the formulation and enforcement of policies to fully protect threatened shark and ray species, developing regulations to manage shark and ray tourism, and regulating the capture of species listed in Appendix II of CITES; 4) Document scientific data and information to support shark and ray management to update the status of sharks and rays as well as lessons learnt from success stories of conservation management; and 5) Improve collaboration between stakeholders to increase capacity in priority locations.