Transport model for implementing the national fish logistics system in Maluku

Maluku province, an archipelagic region with abundant fish resources, has been declared a National Fish Bank to ensure Indonesian national food security. To ensure the availability, affordability, and sustainability of fish supplies for national consumption and processing industries, it is therefore necessary to develop an effective and efficient National Fish Logistics System (known as SLIN) for the procurement, storage, transport, and distribution of fish products. This study aimed to develop an efficient fish transport model. Primary and secondary data were analysed by linear programming using the Transport model approach. The results show that the most efficient distribution costs for tuna and small pelagic fishes are IDR 612,922,192/distribution and IDR 467,668,438/distribution, respectively. Tuna landed in Ambon would be most efficiently distributed to Makassar, Surabaya, and Jakarta in volumes of 10,306 tonnes, 1,684 tonnes and 22,236 tonnes, respectively; whereas tuna landed in Tual would be most efficiently distributed to Makassar and Surabaya in volumes of 5,885 tonnes and 1,962 tonnes, respectively. All small pelagic fishes landed in Ambon would be most efficiently distributed to Jakarta in lots of 53,533 tonnes; all those landed in Dobo should be distributed Makassar in lots of 15,275 tonnes, and all those landed in Tual to Surabaya in lots of 14,572 tonnes. To increase distribution cost efficiency, the MLIN program transport model scenario suggests tuna and small pelagic fishes landed in Tual and Dobo should be distributed to Ambon before distribution to Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. Collaboration between government and private sector actors is needed to support the MLIN program by optimizing the economic scale of fish processing plants in Maluku, providing fish carrier vessels in fishing zones and building proper cold storage and ice factories.