Assessing the scalability of small-scale ornamental mariculture as an alternative livelihood to fishing in the Spermonde Archipelago, Southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia

As with many marine areas throughout Indonesia, the coral reefs and fishery resources of the Spermonde Archipelago have become increasingly degraded largely due to overfishing and destructive fishing practices. As part of its Sustainable Solutions Program, Mars Inc. is working to restore marine resources in the Spermonde Archipelago by developing marine ornamental mariculture businesses as a sustainable alternative livelihood to fishing. Through semi-structured interviews with Spermonde fishers, this study evaluates the scalability of Mars’ livelihood strategy and its potential to reduce fishing effort by assessing fishers’ perceptions and knowledge of marine ornamental aquaculture. Of the total respondents, 78% were interested in ornamental aquaculture as a business opportunity, and 60% stated they would either reduce the time they spent fishing or stop altogether if they had an aquaculture business. However, 72% of respondents were unwilling or unable to invest in a business, expressing concern about market uncertainties and the profitability of the business. The results of this study reveal several challenges with deploying a market-based approach to livelihood diversification in the Spermonde Archipelago, and will be used to help inform Mars’ future approach to its livelihood strategy.