The dominant tuna species landed in Indonesia include skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), kawakawa/mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and frigate and bullet tunas (Auxis thazard, A. rochei). Longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) is not listed among FAO catch data, but is also an important commercial tuna species that is easily misidentified. Kingfish/narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomeromorus commersoni) is the most valuable bycatch species and often has its own targetted fisheries.
The ‘other’ category in the figure above includes economically important tuna and bycatch species such as bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus, 51,449 t) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga, 7,301 t), marlin species (Makaira spp., Istiophorus spp., 15,926 t), swordfish (Xiphias gladius, 12,412 t) and other mackerel species (23,042 t) for 2016.
Data on bycatch species such as mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) and escolar (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum) are limited. The latest official data report on mahi mahi was in 2011 and portrayed a total production of 8,552 t. For escolar no official data exists on catch and production data. However, 2013 and 2014 catch data from Fishery Improvement Projects in the Indian Ocean showed that the volume of escolar (oilfish) was the third highest after albacore and yellowfin tuna, hinting at its high importance in the nations’ capture production. Swordfish and mahi mahi were in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Statistics showed an upward trend in total catches, but has declined in 2015 and remained at the same level in 2016. Catches of especially skipjack tuna showed a reduction, which could be a result of the crack down on illegal fisheries in Indonesian waters. In the long run, Indonesian capture production for tuna and bycatch is expected to increase due to recovering stocks and higher availability of marine resources for Indonesian fishermen. The increase in exports for 2017 seems to support this theory.