Ecological Selectivity and Socio-Economic Sustainability in Small-Scale Fisheries: Lessons from Nature for Sustainable Design in Southern Java

Small-scale fisheries play a crucial role in coastal food security and socio-economic development, yet balancing ecological integrity with community well-being poses significant challenges. This study explores a non-FAD small-scale purse-seine fishery in Southern Java, evaluating its ecological selectivity and socio-economic relevance through a nature-inspired design framework. Port-based landing observations conducted from 6 January to 25 February 2025, covering species composition, bycatch, and length-frequency data, alongside gear specifications, reveal a highly selective system with a minimal bycatch ratio (0.4%) and no discards. Four target species were predominantly landed above the size at first maturity (Lm), indicating the avoidance of growth overfishing. However, Euthynnus affinis exhibited a higher proportion of sub-mature individuals, signaling a need for species-specific management. The standardized graded-mesh mesh net design, nearshore fishing strategies, and careful handling practices mirror natural size-filtering processes and underpin the observed selectivity. By linking these ecological outcomes to full catch utilization and market-preferred landings, the fishery illustrates how selectivity can support local livelihoods without discarding biomass. This study offers an adaptive, multi-indicator framework focusing on bycatch ratios and maturity-based selectivity as a practical fisheries-management tool for data-limited SSFs. Overall, Tambakrejo provides a model of low-impact, economically relevant purse-seine fishing while highlighting the need to mitigate juvenile catch of Euthynnus affinis.