Financial Aspects of Small-Scale Fisheries in Bulukumba Regency, Indonesia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the financial aspects of small-scale handline fisheries in Ekatiro Suburb, Bontotiro District, Bulukumba Regency. Financial analysis aspects included the break-even point (BEP), return to owner (RTO), return to labour (RTL), return on investment (ROI), payback period (PP) and benefit-cost ratio (BC ratio). Known locally as la didi (Konjo, Bira dialect), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacore) in the opo' size class (≥ 10 kg) contributed most to catch volume (number of fish and weight) and fetched the highest price, followed by small yellowfin tuna (kalaholong size class, <10 kg) (local), and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), local name sabau. Yellowfin tuna in opo' and kalaholong size classes were mostly caught during the east monsoon, followed by the east- to-west transition period and west monsoon, with very few fish caught during the transition from west to east monsoon. BEP, ROI, PP and BC ratio values show poor financial performance, indicating a need to improve fishing unit business management. Although the RTO and RTL values show profitable performance, the calculations for these two parameters ignore fixed costs, investment, and annual depreciation.