Sorong, June 18th 2020. PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata), the Marine Research & Observation Centre (BROL), along with the Ministry of Marine & Fishing Affairs continue to work together in disseminating the Nusantara Sea (Laut Nusantara) application to fishermen as well as stakeholders in various parts within the archipelago. This socialization program is also being relayed to students and scholars in the Eastern Indonesia (KTI). Hundreds of students from the Ambon Intermediate School of Fisheries Business and Sorong Polytechnic School of Maritime and Fisheries (Poltek KP), in which most of the scholars come from families of fishermen, participated in the socialization on the usage of digital technology to help small fishermen increase productivity through online means on Wednesday (17/6). Through these students, the transfer of technology is expected to be applied to their parents in their own hometowns.
The event was opened by the Head of Research and Human Resources of the Maritime and Fisheries Agency, Prof. R. Syarief Widjaja, Ph.D, FRINA, along with interviewees Dr. I Nyoman Radiarta, Head of the Marine Research and Observation Center (BROL) Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Researcher at the Marine Research and Observation Center (BROL) Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Eko Susilo, and XL Axiata Group Head of Corporate Communications, Tri Wahyuningsih.
Group Head Corporate Communications of XL Axiata, Tri Wahyuningsih said, “According to our theme, we specifically target this socialization of the Nusantara Sea (Laut Nusantara) Application to SUMP Ambon students and Poltek KP Sorong college students, since the majority of the students here come from families of fishermen. Hence, aside from delivering information and educating about the urgency of the transformation and adaptation of digital technology within fishing and marine affairs, these students will also be capable to pass on the information to their fishermen relatives. In any case, digital tech adaptation should be applied to fishermen, in order to increase and secure their productivity at sea.”
The Nusantara Sea (Laut Nusantara) application socialization was also attended by tutors from the two said institutes, with a tutor group of fishermen, hundreds of fishermen from various villages in the Sorong and Ambon area, along with a number of communities within the fishing and marine industry throughout Indonesia. In addition to this event, XL Axiata and BROL offers a set of the Nusantara Sea (Laut Nusantara) application and smartphones, including mobile data package to operate them. These donation packs are given to 42 Poltek KP cadets, 65 fishermen, and 13 extension agents in Sorong. As for Ambon, the donations are given to 20 SUPM students and 20 fishermen.
Because of Sorong and Ambon’s large numbers of traditional fishermen communities, these two areas were opted to be the prime locations for this event. These fishermen communities are spread through 13 districts, Fakfak, Kaimana, Manokwari, Rensiki, Kumurkek, Anggi, Waisai, Kaimas, Teminabuan Fef, Bintuni, Rasiei, and Sorong. The type of fish they usually catch are Snappers and Groupers. Most of these fishermen still rely on the traditional way of finding fish at sea. The sea where they look for fish includes the Halmahera sea area, which is west from the mainland of West Papua.
Meanwhile, in Maluku, including Ambon, the fishermen community are spread through 11 cities/districts, Buru, South Buru, Aru Islands, Southwest Maluku, Central Maluku, Southeast Maluku, Tanimbar Islands, Western Seram, Eastern Seram, Ambon, and Tual. The type of fish they catch are Tuna, Cobs, and Skipjacks. Most of these fishermen also still rely on the traditional way of finding fish at sea. The sea where they look for their fish include the Seram sea area and the Banda Sea.
As R. Syarief Widjaja had stated, this Laut Nusantara application is a form of support towards to the policy and program direction for the maritime and fishery development of 2020-2024. Precisely in terms of strengthening human resources and innovation in marine and fisheries research, through downstreaming research based on digital transformation. The program also aims to increase fishing productivity, as well as boosting fishermen’s exchange rate.
"The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is targeting the growth of fisheries production to 10.10 million tons and the exchange rate of fishermen to 120.60 by 2024. The Nusantara Sea (Laut Nusantara) application provides Forecast Fishing Area Map (PPDPI), an easy and speedy access to state of the art information of sea weather and fishermen’s grasp, so that the fishery activities may be exceedingly effective and efficient.” Syarief Widjaja continues.
Furthermore, I Nyoman Radiarta states that the Laut Nusantara application is proof of BROL’s downstream quality research, produced to support the KKP program in innovating and developing human resources in the maritime and fisheries industry. Currently, the application has been downloaded by 27,000 (twenty seven thousand) users. Seeing this growth, The Laut Nusantara application continues to undergo head-on development of features, adjusting to the needs of fishermen with important information provided by the Marine Research Centre (BROL) that supports the comfort, security, and effectiveness of fishermen in catching fish.
XL Axiata and BROL have executed the socialization of the Laut Nusantara application since 2018 and have reached no less than 27 thousand fishermen in 23 cities and districts across Indonesia. The Laut Nusantara application, that has now reached Phase 3 of development, is a digital application appointed to traditional fishermen who are used to using traditional tools and operates less than 20 miles from shore.
The Laut Nusantara application delivers accurate data that is relevant to the many needs of fishermen while at sea, including the location of fish, weather forecasts on wind speed and wave conditions, fuel count, along with emergency features. In addition to these features, the application also offers a chat feature for fishermen to discuss and research market prices for their catch of the day.