Strengthening Financial Literacy and Catch Recording for Small-Scale Fisher Groups

Abstract

Small-scale fishers in Indonesia remain among the occupational groups with the lowest financial literacy, and the absence of catch records limits their ability to plan fishing operations and access formal finance. This community engagement program aimed to strengthen basic financial literacy and introduce simple catch recording among members of the Daseng Fishers Group in Sindulang Dua, Manado. A participatory approach was used, consisting of partner coordination, preparation of an illustrated financial literacy module and a catch logbook, a one-day socialization and training session, and remote mentoring through a WhatsApp group. Data were collected through attendance records, field observation, documentation, and monitoring of logbook submissions, and were analyzed descriptively. Ten fishers attended the training and received the module and logbook. However, after about five weeks of monitoring, only one participant had recorded catches in the logbook. The main constraints were the fishers' limited time between fishing and selling, the single-session format, and reliance on remote follow-up; because no pre-test or post-test was administered, changes in literacy could not be measured quantitatively. The program shows that a single training session and the distribution of tools are insufficient to build recording habits. Repeated in-person mentoring, a simpler recording format, and peer champions are needed to support adoption.