Pole and line fishery has always been faced with a classic issue such as the limited source of wild-caught live baits. This is also the reason why pole and line fisheries can never fulfill all the demand from the industry compared to purse seine fishery.
PT SMS and AP2HI are trying hard to provide a solution for this issue by sorting through all the alternatives for the wild-caught live bait. There are a few points that we need to consider in order to make it a perfect alternative solution: cost, quantity and stability. In terms of cost, this alternative needs to be economical, since about 30% of the overall pole and line industry cost comes from the purchase of the live baits. In terms of quantity, it has to be able to produce as much as the gap that the wild-caught live bait fishermen cannot provide. And lastly, it has to be stable in terms of production; it has to be able to produce all year long.
Milkfish comes on top of the list that is very close to what we need, although the cost is still very high compared to the wild-caught baits. However, we are committed to finding ways to drive the costs down. PT SMS has succeeded in culturing the milkfish in Northern Sulawesi (close to the fishing grounds); this progress is significant in driving the cost down by simply getting the logistics cost out. And now we are able to provide equivalent to 2–4 full pole and line trips a month, and it will keep increasing as we find better ways to efficiently grow the milkfish to the usable size.
At this stage, we are working to find the best possible way to grow the milkfish faster by using the least space. And if you have a better solution, please help us by contacting us and telling us your thoughts. Let’s help the sustainable fisheries by getting involved.