The faculty team from the Capture Fisheries Study Program, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, held a consultative meeting with the Pangkajene and Islands Regency Government to discuss the development of artificial fish habitat (fish apartment). The initiative aims to increase fishers’ catches while supporting a blue swimming crab conservation area in the waters of the Spermonde Archipelago. The meeting, held in Pangkep Regency, was attended by the Regent of Pangkep, accompanied by the Head of the Fisheries Office. Faculty members present were Muhammad Kurnia, S.Pi., M.Sc., Ph.D.; Ir. M. Abduh Ibnu Hajar, S.Pi., M.P., Ph.D.; Reski Dwiyanti Risa, S.Pi., M.Si.; and Dhiaz, S.Pi.

On this occasion, the Regent of Pangkep expressed appreciation for the initiative shown by Unhas academics in developing innovative marine- and fisheries-based technologies. He hopes that research outputs and innovations from the Capture Fisheries Study Program will have a tangible impact on increasing local fishers’ incomes while supporting national conservation programs, as part of the local government’s responsibility to ensure the sustainability of marine resources in the Spermonde Archipelago.

The faculty member team explained that the development of artificial habitats (fish apartment) is designed not only to enhance fish populations and catches but also to function as a conservation zone for blue swimming crab, which has high ecological and economic value for coastal communities. This initiative is expected to forge strong synergy between capture fisheries and Pangkep Regency Government in supporting sustainable fisheries resource management and to strengthen the role of academia in implementing science-based marine development policies grounded in local wisdom.