2022 OCEAN AWARDS The Winners

WINNERS

LOCAL HERO AWARD

Nusi Mursiati

FORKANI, INDONESIA

One of a small handful of women working in marine conservation in Indonesia’s Sulawesi Province, Nusi Mursiati works for the community-based environmental organization Forkani, which aims to bring sustainability to octopus fisheries. Among her achievements last year was the temporary closure of four fisheries in the Wakatobi archipelago, an initiative that not only enabled the collection of valuable data but also has resulted in larger, more profitable and, crucially, more sustainable catches.

How do you set about closing a fishery?

“Communication is crucial. You need to create a level of understanding between the fishers, the village government and the local leaders, ” Mursiati says. “Once the community has decided to monitor the fishery, we take daily measurements, including the sex and weight of each octopus. The data is then presented to the community every three months during feedback sessions. They then need to decide for themselves if something needs to be done, such as managing their fishery with a closure. They create the rules. They monitor it themselves. And after three months, the fishery reopens.”

What happens next?

“After the first closure, everyone was surprised by how much bigger the octopuses were. That increased what they sold for, which in turn brought more income into the community.”

But it’s about more than income, surely?

“Of course. It’s also about teaching communities to take responsibility for their environment. The first thing I tell them when I present the research is: ‘This is your data. These are your octopuses.’ That way, they really begin to develop ownership of the information they collect.”

And it’s also about building confidence?

“Yes. I have seen a real empowerment among people who previously felt disenfranchised and