Socio-Economic Characterization and Operational Patterns of Multi-Gear Artisanal Fisheries in Pangandaran Coastal Waters, West Java, Indonesia

Small-scale fisheries constitute the backbone of coastal livelihoods in Indonesia, yet comprehensive socio-economic data remain limited for effective management. This study characterizes the operational and socioeconomic patterns of multi-gear artisanal fisheries in the Pangandaran coastal waters of West Java, Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey of 136 fishers across 14 coastal communities was conducted using structured questionnaires covering socio-demographic characteristics, fishing operations, and catch composition. Complete economic data were available for 125 fishermen, while multivariate analyses used n = 105 due to listwise deletion of cases with missing predictor variables. Fishermen averaged 46.9 years of age with 25.8 ± 11.6 years of fishing experience. Mean monthly income was IDR 5.80 million (SD = 7.51, 95% CI: 4.47–7.13 million, approximately USD 387). Gillnet was the dominant fishing gear (73.5% of fishermen), followed by hook-and-line (14.7%). A total of 57 fish species were recorded, dominated by hairtail Trichiurus spp. (61.0% occurrence). Statistical analyses revealed weak relationships between conventional demographic and operational variables and income. Although crew number showed a statistically significant association with income (p = 0.039), its effect size was small, and the overall regression model was not significant, with very low explanatory power (R2 = 0.038). These results indicate that income variability is largely driven by unmeasured and context-specific factors rather than observable fishing characteristics. These findings provide baseline socio-economic data essential for developing community-specific management interventions in Pangandaran waters.