Abstract:Resource use monitoring was carried in Kofiau and Boo Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) from 2006 to 2011, following The Nature Conservancy’s resource use monitoring protocol (Wiadnya et al. 2006). The aim of this monitoring was to identify spatial and temporal patterns in the use and exploitation of marine resources within the Kofiau and Boo Islands to support the zoning of the MPA and to assess changes in use patterns over time. The surveys were carried out by speedboat and covered the entire 170,000 ha area of the MPA. The surveys showed the dominant resource use in the MPA was fishing (99%), with largely recreational diving making up the rest (1%). Most fishers are locals from Deer, Dibalal, and Tolobi (85%), while the remaining fishers are outside/non-local fishers (15%) from Maluku and Sulawesi. Despite their numerical abundance, local fisheries took just 30% of the total annual catch, while outside fishers took 70% of the total annual catch. Many outside fishers were caught operating illegally in the MPA without a licence or with an expired licence, and were removed from the MPA by the floating ranger station Imbekwan (period 2007-2010) and by local community patrols and accompanying police (period 2011-now). Most local fishers used small vessels, such as canoes and vessels with small outboard motors, while outside fishers used larger vessels with large inboard or outboard motors. There was reduction in the number of fishers from 2006-2011, caused by a decline in the number of non-local vessels frequenting the MPA. A continued reduction in outside fishers through strong enforcement efforts would reduce the fishing pressure on the MPA and would allow for depleted fish populations to recover.

Associated cases:

• Raja Ampat (National Act No. 32 2004)