THE STATUS OF SPINY LOBSTER AQUACULTURE IN INDONESIA

Lobster aquaculture is a proven strategy to meet the demand for spiny lobster.  For example, in Vietnam, annual production of farmed lobster can exceed 1,500 tonnes using a natural supply of puerulus.  Surprisingly, farmed lobster production in Indonesia is only 300 tons despite a significantly larger supply of puerulus compared to that of Vietnam. Lobster aquaculture, and its development in Indonesia, has experienced dramatic changes over the last 4 years. The farmed lobster industry, based only in Lombok, consisted of around 2,000 sea-cages in 2012.  The industry encountered several problems that impacted production, including: reduced availability of puerulus and post-puerulus due to redirection of seed to the lucrative export market (commenced in 2013), disease outbreaks (2011), and farmers' lack of skills and knowledge of best practice. A study tour of Vietnamese lobster aquaculture sites by Indonesian lobster farmers was undertaken to foster transfer of the Vietnamese technology to Indonesia. The overriding goal was to improve lobster production in Indonesia via technology adoption.  

A ministerial regulation, "Decree No. 1/2015" in January 2015, banned the collection of lobsters less than 200g or 8cm in carapace length for aquaculture production. Consequently, this decree affected the seed collection and grow-out industries. The number of lobster farmers decreased to 5% of that of 2012. The ban led to a loss of jobs and income for more than 5,000 people; difficulties for fishers to pay children's school fees; collapse of seed collection and lobster grow-out operations; increase in crime; increase in the number of backyard loan sharks; and, middlemen losing funds invested in future crops that are now illegal. Although the ban has made puerulus collection and export illegal, a 'black market' has emerged which has become lucrative for those who participate in the illegal market chain.  Ironically, the number of puerulus caught has increased dramatically from around 8 million of pueruli in 2014 (before the implementation of the regulation) to around 50-60 million pueruli in 2015, as new sources of puerulus have been discovered in Sumbawa, South East Sulawesi, Java, and Aceh.  

Lobster farming has huge potential to create a sustainable livelihood alternative for coastal communities in Indonesia. There is an opportunity for the central government to support a sustainable puerulus export and lobster growout industry by fostering best practices based on technologies from Vietnam as well as through locally-based research. Additionally, a review of policies, and implementation of social and environmental impact studies, can help underpin decision-making processes that ensure the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development are met. There is an opportunity to restore livelihoods and also to potentially improve wild lobster fisheries through stock enhancement using translocated puerulus.