PICES member countries have significant resources for monitoring environmental conditions and fisheries in coastal waters. At the same time, developing nations are far more limited in their capacity to collect data needed to advance their management practices in these waters. Citizen-based monitoring is an approach designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of monitoring efforts when technical and financial resources are insufficient. There are many successful examples of citizen-based monitoring in developed countries. However, this approach has not yet been widely applied to collecting environmental and fisheries data in developing nations. Based on such recognition, PICES has conducted two citizen-based monitoring projects funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan: “Building capacity for coastal monitoring by local small-scale fishers” (FishGIS: November 2017 – March 2020) and “Building local warning networks for the detection and human dimension of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning in Indonesian communities” (Ciguatera: April 2020 – March 2023).
The overall goal of the project, entitled “Creating a phytoplankton-fishery observing program for sustaining local communities in Indonesian coastal waters” (FishPhytO) is to establish, in collaboration with local fishers, research institutes and universities, the capacity to develop and operate a phytoplankton-fishery observing program in the Lombok Island region (West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia). This project is expected to use tools developed and refined during the previous two PICES/MAFF projects (2017–2023) that enable the detection of toxic benthic Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species that can threaten tropical reefs and other coastal fisheries and record images of the fishery catches for enumeration of fish species and sizes. The long-term objectives are to (1) provide local communities with the operational capacity and knowledge to manage their fisheries resources and ensure sustainable seafood safety, and (2) identify research needs for deploying these tools in PICES member countries.
Benthic HAB species, such as the causative organism underlying Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP), arguably have the greatest human health and economic impacts of algal-based poisoning syndrome. CFP occurs when humans consume fish that contain toxins created by benthic microalgae of the dinoflagellate genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa, which are the initial sources of ciguatoxin and are endemic in many tropical Pacific regions. The impact of CFP on the human dimension extends far beyond the proximate health and economic outcomes – chronically impacted communities in the Pacific Region and elsewhere can become fearful of local and other fish sources and transition from these traditional ways of life to one where all protein is imported from foreign sources, altering their cultural heritage. In addition to threats of benthic HABs and CFP in Indonesia, there also are pelagic blooms of toxic algae species (e.g., Alexandrium spp.) that produce potent neurotoxins, which bioaccumulate in both aquaculture and subsistence fisheries, yet there is no comprehensive monitoring of seafood safety for the majority of the Indonesian coastline. With only a handful of plankton experts available to identify when coastal conditions become toxic, Indonesia lacks the capacity to effectively mount the type of HAB monitoring that is common in developed countries.
The problem of toxic algal blooms appears to be increasing globally. Although Ciguatera and other toxin-producing benthic HABs appear in pristine environments, anthropogenic pressures and climate change are leading to its emergence in new regions and intensification in others. There is evidence of range extension of some of these species into the waters of PICES member countries, which is raising significant concerns. The expansion of dead corals and eel-grass habitats that replace healthy corals facilitates intrusion and establishment of exotic populations of toxin-producing benthic algae. Despite the widespread impacts of benthic and other HABs, the resultant health and socioeconomic effects remain poorly understood.
Indonesia is part of the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse marine area on Earth, and these extensive reefs are vital to maintaining the ecological products that contribute to fisheries in this region. However, presently only about 7% of these coral reefs are in excellent condition, while anthropogenic stressors have left more than 35% in poor condition. Decreasing coral health in Indonesia is a relatively new phenomenon compared to other areas of the world, and the human populations living adjacent to the deteriorating corals are not yet fully aware of the consequences of this change. Current reports of benthic and pelagic HABs occurrences are low in Indonesia, almost certainly because diagnosis is difficult without proper training and experience.
Knowledge transfer is essential. Maintaining a healthy environment is critical to a sustainable relationship between the country and the marine environment. Communities must understand the risks of exposure to keep the impact of benthic HABs to a minimum. The highest risk is when the reefs, that communities depend on for fish, have large patches of dead coral or large seagrass mats, as these surfaces are ideal for the growth of benthic algal cells. Pelagic HABs, on the other hand, are much less predictable, so vigilance with the proper tools is essential. The project will offer technology-assisted, community-based training that drives community awareness of emerging problems and will foster surveillance and management skills that can reduce the incidence of HAB-related illnesses. Communities should engage in three levels of surveillance: the health of the corals and coastal waters, the biology of the benthic and pelagic HAB species, and the harvesting of potentially contaminated fish or bivalves to the communities.
Four long-term goals guide the project. First, consumers will come to rely on information from local communities and researchers about HABs when purchasing marine goods or services. Secondly, the socioeconomic basis of local communities will gain resilience by not depending on products with neurotoxic risks. Thirdly, coral reef health and signals of declining health are better understood by developing nations. Through these capacity-building goals, coastal Indonesian communities can be sustainably improved, with fewer uncertainties and risks from CFP and degradation of coral ecosystems, and the emerging threats of pelagic HABs. The fourth long-term goal, and most directly relevant to PICES, is that lessons learned in this project inform and benefit PICES member countries facing the emergence of climate-driven benthic range extension of HAB species into their marine systems.
The project is proposed to focus on the following major initiatives:
The request to undertake the FishPhytO project was approved at the inter-sessional PICES Governing Council meeting on May 30, 2023. The first year of the project (June 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024) was funded by MAFF, through the Fisheries Agency of Japan (JFA), from the Official Development Assistance (ODA) Fund. The project principles agreed to by MAFF/JFA and PICES can be found here. Funding for Year 1 (ending March 31, 2024) was set at $73,813.
The project has strong connections with the PICES Scientific Committees on Human Dimensions (HD), Fishery Science (FIS), and Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ) (through the Section on Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms in the North Pacific – S-HAB), PICES Technical Committees on Data Exchange (TCODE) and on Monitoring (MONITOR), and the PICES FUTURE (Forecasting and Understanding Trends, Uncertainty and Responses of North Pacific Marine Ecosystems) science program (specifically, Research Theme 3 on “How do human activities affect coastal ecosystems and how are societies affected by changes in these ecosystems?”). The HD Committee serves as the parent committee for the project.
To direct the project, a Project Science Team (PST) was formed by the PICES Science Board based on principles and procedures detailed in the the PICES Policy for approval and management of special projects (Decision 2017/A/7). All PICES member countries and all relevant scientific and technical committees, but MONITOR, are represented on the team. (see the PST membership below). Considering the focus of the new project, HD and MEQ have decided to nominate several members. As there are strong links between the FishPhytO project and the previous two PICES/MAFF projects: FishGIS (2017–2020) and Ciguatera (2020–2023), the majority of FishPhytO PST members were involved in one or in both of these projects. As the leading Indonesian collaborators are also those who participated in the previous PICES/MAFF projects, retaining this core group is important to facilitate efficient implementation of the project. Selection of Dr. Mitsutaku Makino (HD Chair, Japan) and Dr. Mark Wells (S-HAB Co-Chair, USA) as FishPhytO PST Co-Chairs warrants the desirable geographical balance and the balance of expertise between the human dimension and HAB components of the project. The PST Co-Chairs are responsible for the detailed planning and execution of the project and annual reporting to MAFF/JFA and to the Science Board through the HD Committee.
Dr. Alexander Bychkov was appointed by the PICES Executive Secretary to serve as the Project Coordinator and is responsible for the management of the fund and annual reporting on its disposition to MAFF/JFA and to the PICES Finance and Administration Committee.
Within PICES, the Science Board takes the responsibility for reporting to the Governing Council on the progress and achievements of the project, and the Finance and Administration Committee takes the responsibility for reporting to the Governing Council on the financial and management aspects of the project.
The collaboration PICES scientists have developed with the Indonesian government agencies and research institutions during four PICES/MAFF projects conducted in the period from 2007 to 2023 – “Development of the prevention systems for harmful organisms’ expansion in the Pacific Rim” (2007–2012), “Marine ecosystem health and human well-being” (2012–2017; MarWeB), “Building capacity for coastal monitoring by local small-scale fishers” (2017–2020; FishGIS), and “Building local warning networks for the detection and human dimension of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning in Indonesian communities” (2020–2023; Ciguatera) – provides a strong foundation for the FishPhytO project. Connecting with such organizations in a developing country is critical for facilitating and advancing a project – these organizations and key people are needed to understand the project and to translate it into the local context.
The National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN) has been our major partner since the Ciguatera project (previous major partners, the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), are now integrated into BRIN). In addition, in March 2022, PICES has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of Technology of Indonesia (ITI), with the goal of integrating both faculty expertise and student involvement into the project to enhance its longer-term sustainability. ITI’s focus on the application of technology across environmental science and industry is well suited as a framework for supporting the current and potential future projects in Indonesia. Multiple cooperation agreements among Indonesian national and local government agencies and universities signed during a Ciguatera project’s community training and knowledge dissemination workshop in January 2023 in Lombok have also strengthened support for collaborative research with PICES and the sustainability of the observation network after the project is completed.
In addition, the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara, which provided invaluable assistance in organizing the January 2023 community training and knowledge dissemination workshop, has indicated strong interest in implementing the FishPhytO project. This support is essential for sustaining the planned observation and response activities after completion of the project.