Abstract

We estimated “true” catches of sardine in the Bali Strait, Indonesia from five months of fieldwork (2002–2006). Using Monte Carlo simulations, we found that only 28–56% of sardine catches were reported and that unreported fishing within domestic fishing fleets is considerable. Although inadequate government landing facilities, landing taxes, uncertainty in fish catch, and lack of social benefits play an important role, we found financial insecurity to be the main reason why fishers under-report. We suggest that a reduction in unreported fishing might result from restructuring the prevailing financial schemes, a temporary landing tax exemption, and improving fishers' financial management skills.