ASSESSMENT OF THE SUSTAINABILITY OF YELLOWFIN TUNA FISHERIES IN WEST SULAWESI BASED ON MULTI-DISTRICT PRODUCTION DATA

Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is a strategic fishery commodity in West Sulawesi Province with great potential but has not yet been comprehensively studied at the multi-district level. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE), estimate the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), and determine the utilization rate and exploitation status of yellowfin tuna in Majene, Mamuju, and Polewali Mandar Regencies during the 2011–2025 period. Secondary production data, including annual catch (kg) and fishing effort (trips/year), were obtained from the Marine and Fisheries Offices of each regency. MSY estimates were calculated using the Schaefer and Fox surplus production models, while the utilization rate was calculated based on the average catch for 2023–2025. The results show that Majene Regency has the highest CPUE with the best-fitting Fox model (R² = 0.744), yielding an MSY estimate of 1,202,931 kg/year with an optimal fishing effort of 4,161 trips/year. Majene’s exploitation rate reached 141.8%, categorizing it as overexploited. Mamuju Regency has an exploitation rate of 97.5%, classified as fully exploited, while Polewali Mandar recorded 41.3% (underfished), although its MSY estimate carries high uncertainty due to the model’s low R² (0.015). These findings indicate a gradient in exploitation status across the regencies, necessitating adaptive management strategies, including effort restrictions in Majene, strict monitoring in Mamuju, and the strengthening of data and more robust modeling approaches in Polewali Mandar.