Water Fertility and Quality as Determinants of Fisheries Productivity

Indonesia is one of the largest tropical archipelagic countries in the world, with approximately 17,508 islands and a coastline stretching about 95,181 kilometers. The extensive shallow coastal waters allow sunlight to penetrate to the seabed, resulting in the flourishing growth and high primary productivity in these waters, particularly in coastal areas, which can reach over 10,000 grams of carbon per square meter per year. This high primary productivity also supports high secondary productivity and/or fish production, which reaches around 6.0-6.7 million tons of fish per year (sustainable catch). This high productivity is closely related to the high fertility of the waters within the sub-systems of aquatic ecosystems, from upstream to downstream. However, despite the fertility of these waters, human activities in utilizing the natural resources within these sub-systems are often not environmentally friendly. As a result, waste from these activities, whether from household, agricultural, or industrial sources, degrades the water quality of aquatic ecosystems, impacting both aquatic productivity and human health.