The squid fisheries in Malacca Strait (IFMA 571), Indonesia

Malacca Strait Fisheries is a multi-species coastal and offshore fishery with diverse types of fishing gear and fleet structures. The area is one of the potential waters to provide fish resources for human consumption. Squid is one of the typical target species caught using certain types of fishing gear. The annual squid landing in 2020 was approximately 22,800 tons, with a gross value of 820 billion IDR. The squid landed in Aceh province totalled 835 tons, with North Sumatra 21,703 tons. Time series analysis was performed using the landing statistical data of squid (multi-species) from 1977 (720 tons) to the present day. The results indicated that the landing in 2020 had a relatively high catch rate. The proportion of squid to total catch was shifted from < 0.2% (1977) to 4% (2020). The diversity of fishing gear used was high and was predominately by squid angling and small pelagic seiners, with fleet sizes varying from < 5 GT to 125 GT. This paper describes the early stages of exploitation indicators for multi-gear squid fishery in the area. Determining the susceptibility of overfishing, challenges, and threats to the marine ecosystem is challenging. The result would support the data-limited fisheries approach to describe the subsequent topics on the dynamics of squid fisheries concerning long-term benefits for coastal communities’ livelihood on the east coast of North Sumatra.