Back then, a lot of bilih were caught by fishermen, then cleaned by women, sometimes even children joined in to earn a bit of extra pocket money before being sold to buyers. But now, it is different’ Prof. Hafrjial Syandri, Bung Hatta University.
“In the past, it was easy for us to buy wader directly from local anglers. But now, the fish has become so rare that its price has gone up significantly.” Winarta - seller of Wader.
In Indonesia, undernutrition remains a national concern, with one key driver being the insufficient consumption of foods rich in micronutrients, quality protein, and essential fatty acids (Bappenas, 2025). According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in 2023, the average daily protein intake is only 62.3 grams per capita, with just 14.8% coming from animal-based sources mainly fish despite the country’s vast marine resources. According to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), national fish consumption is 58.91 kg/capita/year in 2024, still falling short of the government’s target of 59 kg/capita/year.
Increasing fish consumption must also deal with the issue of food loss and waste. Fish loss and waste in Indonesia is a significant issue, costing the country around US$7.28 billion annually. This waste is attributed to poor fishery management, long transport distances, and inadequate storage and refrigeration techniques.
Building on those issues, GAIN seeks solutions to identify protein and nutrient take into account sustainability. Based on a GAIN assessment, small fish were found as one of sources of protein which has lower environmental footprint, including zero waste from small fish consumption.
GAIN conducted a study evaluated seven types of local small fish, including; bilih (Mystacoleucus padangensis), wader (Rasbora sp), nilem (Osteochilus vittatus), and uceng (Nemacheilus fasciatus). We evaluated its supply and value chain, profitability, life cycle assessment (LCA), its costs, and revenues, associated with the stakeholders involved in the small fish business processes. The results concluded that Bilih (Mystacoleucus padangensis) and Wader Pari (Rasbora argyrotaenia) has potential to be intervened, to increase their production.
Bilih and Wader are produced mostly from wild capture by the communities. The number of production relies on its availability on their habitats. Since 1990s, multi stakeholders have done a number of restocking programs to increase bilih and wader availability in lakes and rivers. Yet, the production is still decreasing. One of the reasons is due to the ineffectiveness of restocking programs.
Thus, the GAIN small fish program aims to increase production of bilih and wader small fish. This was done through four objectives;
1. assessing the effectiveness of Bilih and Wader restocking programmes, by evaluating restocking methods, stakeholders governance, impact to species population, and cost-benefit analysis;
2. develop a specific detailed guideline for bilih and wader restocking to be used for upcoming restocking programs,
3. develop monitoring systems for small fish and bilih populations,
4 incorporating critical data on bilih and wader production, consumption, population, habitats, environmental conditions, and the socio-economic contexts of fishers, fish farmers, buyers, and end consumers to Indonesian Food Systems Dashboard (DSPI)
In the program, GAIN Indonesia works with PKSPL (Center of Fisheries Study) IPB, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), National Research Agency (BRIN), Bung Hatta University, Semen Padang, Ministry of Fishery, and Fishery Agency in Yogyakarta and West Sumatra. UGM is represented by Professor Bambang Retnoaji, a Wader small fish expert from Faculty of Biology.
National Kick-Off: Promoting Small Fish
Held on 3rd June 2025, the national kick-off brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and researchers from across universities and research institutes. The event served as a discussion platform to gather feedback on the program design, particularly the study plan, restocking, monitoring and the integration of data into the Food Systems Dashboard (FSD).
Figure 1 Kick off small fish restocking program
Several Key Takeaways from the Kick-Off Include:
(1) understanding existing conditions of small fish (restocking) program and policy where the restocking guideline and monitoring mechanisms are needed; 2) mapping stakeholders and their engagement in restocking programs where the role of private sectors are needed to support restocking programmes; (3) a need to align national policy (Fisheries Ministerial Regulation 36/2023 on fishing equipment) with provincial regulation of West Sumatera (PERGUB No.4 Tahun 2023) ; and (4) ensuring effective integration of small fish data into the FSD.
Coordinating the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders is essential to support effort to increase effectiveness of small fish restocking programmes. Strong collaboration and synergy among stakeholders are critical to increase small fish population. Robust technical assistance and monitoring with regular check-ins are needed to ensure restocking can really restore small fish populations.
Discussion Panel in Yogyakarta: Revisiting Design of Wader Restocking
In the second week of June, a discussion panel for the activities in Yogyakarta was held, involving local stakeholders from government agencies which are Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan (DKP) Yogyakarta (Maritime and fisheries service), Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), and fishery groups, and MSMEs. The panel served as a local kick-off for the activities.
The discussions were rich and insightful, drawing on the diverse experiences and knowledge of participants. Yudi, representing the community group (Pokmaswas), shared findings from the 2024 local fish survey, which recorded Wader Pari in nearly all locations from Sleman to Bantul districts. A total of 48 fish species were identified, including two types of Wader. He also highlighted environmental challenges such as pesticide use during shallot cultivation and algal blooms during the dry season which affect the wader population. Yudi expressed his willingness to assist in monitoring the restocking program. Winarta, another participant from the community group (Pokdakan), discussed the need to scale up Wader Pari aquaculture training that previously supported by village funds.
Meanwhile, Soemuji, a Wader fish processor, reported a decline in the local Wader population, with some fish now being sourced from Sumatra to meet demand. With high demand from restaurants for wader and reduced (local) wader production, restaurants often also replaced wader with baby fish of tilapia.
The local fishery agency reported that restocking programs have been implemented since 2019, with wader restocking carried out in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. The number of fish restocked has decreased from 760,650 fish in 2020 to only 339,000 fish in 2024. Main barrier is on the monitoring and evaluation of the restocking program, where data is lacking and no evidence of restocking has increased the wader population and production. Other challenges are in selecting the right rivers and designing effective restocking methods.
Discussion series in West Sumatera: Complex challenges for Bilih Habitat
In 15th of July, the discussion panel for the Bilih activities took place in Padang, West Sumatra. This event brought together national (Directorate of Fish Resources, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and local stakeholders which are , including the provincial government which are Head of Public Facilities Unit and Chair of KEHATI, PT Semen Padang, Prof. Dr. Hafrjial Syandri, MS (Bilih Fish Researcher, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Bung Hatta University), Head of District Offices, Vice Regent of Tanah Datar, Mr. Ahmad Fadli, S.Psi et cetera. The event also invited fisher groups, local communities, and MSMEs especially women who play a central role in the culinary industry and in producing Bilih-based dishes that are an essential part of the renowned Padangnese cuisine.
The discussion highlighted pressing challenges such as overfishing, exceeding the sustainable catch limit where current annual catch levels of 604.5 tons far exceed the sustainable threshold of 235 tons, combined with the widespread use of destructive gear such as bagan , nets with mesh sizes under ¾ inch. The use of bagan in singkarak lake (habitat of bilih) has significantly increased and exceeded the quota by 141% (424 units compared to the 300 permitted). This was cause by the allowance of bagan by the Fisheries Ministerial Regulation 36/2023. The use of bagan disturbed the population cycle and mobility/migration of bilih to the estuary. Local leaders expressed frustration over weak enforcement of fishing regulations and conflicting policies between provincial regulations (PERGUB no.4/2023) and national regulation (PERMEN KP No. 36/2023).
Figure 2: Bagan a capture technique which reduce Bilih population
The community groups claimed that habitat degradation due to pollution and sedimentation made by water flow designed by the Hydropower Plant near the lake. A researcher from Bung Hatta University explained that it causes accumulation of mud sedimentation near estuary which disturbs the mobility and migration of bilih populations. Several local leaders demanded the presence of the power plant representatives to discuss the solution.
Stakeholders called for a range of solutions: harmonization of regulations, stricter control on illegal bagan, restoration of sediment and water quality by redesign of the sluice, local wisdom community-based monitoring, management of protection zone (Alahan), and livelihood support through the provision of eco-friendly fishing gear. The success of Bilih fish management also depends on integrated, multi-stakeholder actions that address both ecological and socio-political dimensions.
We also had a meeting Semen Padang company who have done bilih restocking in singkarak lake since 2022. There have not been substantial impact evaluations to bilih population to the restocking programmes. Our study will contribute to improve future bilih restocking and introduction programmes planned by Semen Padang and other stakeholders in Singkarak and other lakes in West Sumatra.
A Commitment from The Ministry of Fisheries
Following the abovementioned events, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) invited GAIN and partners to attend the coordination meetings, to synergize development partners programs in supporting small fish production. This shows a ‘buy-in’ from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), showing support for the initiatives led by GAIN and its partners in promoting sustainable small fish management.
KKP, along with the academics and development partners, acknowledged the importance of addressing key issues such as overfishing, the need for science-based policies, and the development of species restocking and management guidelines. The discussion also emphasized the urgency of revitalizing habitats, regulating unsustainable fishing practices through revise the policy and drafting the guidelines, and providing more environmentally friendly alternatives for local fishers.
Likewise, the integration of small fish species into national nutrition campaigns like Gemar Makan Ikan was encouraged to achieve both environmental and public health goals to increase nutrition uptake from blue food. This momentum reflects a growing alignment between national policy and field-level action, reinforcing the collaborative spirit needed for long-term impact.
What’s Next?
In West Sumatra, PKSPL IPB is starting the data collection to assess the effectiveness of previous bilih restocking programs. Data collection includes such as ecological indicators (water quality, sedimentation, etc.), population, socio-economic and stakeholders’ governance. These data will provide a crucial finding for measuring the effectiveness and for improving bilih management.
In Yogyakarta, UGM is also starting action research with surveys on ecological indicators (water quality, pollution, etc.), socio-economic and stakeholders’ management. This survey will inform selection of 2 candidates for pilot locations of better restocking using eDNA barcoding. The restocking pilots will be done in 2 phases, planning to start in September.
The results of the study and the pilot will inform the guideline for small fish restocking, monitoring mechanisms, and policy advocacy for bilih and wader. All the data will also be incorporated into the Food Systems Dashboard.