A Sustainability Analysis of the Small Demersal Fish Used in the Surimi Industry in Indonesia Using the Length-Based Spawning Potential Ratio

Indonesia’s surimi industry is increasingly relying on small demersal fish stocks, whose biological sustainability remains critically underexamined. This study evaluates four key species—Priacanthus tayenus, Pentaprion longimanus, Upeneus sulphureus, and Nemipterus tambuloides—using the length-based spawning potential ratio (LB-SPR) method across 66,674 samples. The results reveal acute reproductive depletion, whereby the SPR values for three species fall below the 20% viability threshold, and over 70% of specimens are harvested before maturity. These patterns signal severe recruitment overfishing, with implications for ecosystem resilience and the structural stability of surimi supply chains. Given the factory-based sampling bias, the findings likely represent a worst-case scenario for the surimi-directed stock component within Indonesia’s FMA712. Strategic reforms—particularly minimum size limits, seasonal closures, and broader multisite assessments—are urgently required in order to realign fishing practices with ecological thresholds and safeguard coastal livelihoods that are dependent on this industrial value chain.