Increasing The Economic Value of Marine Products Through Diversification of Processed Fish Products on Saponda Island

Abstract

Indonesia has a wide variety of traditional fish-based foods, including chips made from salted fish. Saponda Island has abundant fishery resources that have been processed into several products, such as meatballs, nuggets, and snacks. However, women from fishers’ households generally process salted fish only by frying or sautéing it. Some unsold or deteriorated salted fish is also used as animal feed or discarded, mainly because of limited knowledge and skills in developing diversified salted fish products. This community engagement program aimed to improve the knowledge and practical skills of women from fishers’ households in processing underutilized salted fish into packaged chips with higher economic value. The activity involved 10–20 participants and employed a contextual and participatory approach consisting of counseling, product introduction, hands-on production training, and packaging demonstrations. Salted fish was combined with coconut milk from mature coconuts, wheat flour, and other ingredients to produce a marketable snack product. The program enabled participants to understand the production stages and independently practice the processing and packaging of salted fish chips. The main contribution of the program was the introduction of a simple and locally applicable fish-processing innovation that can reduce the disposal of unsold salted fish and encourage the development of household-based businesses. Economically, the product has the potential to increase the selling value of salted fish, provide an additional source of household income, and create small-scale business opportunities for women from fishers’ households. Salted fish chips may also be developed as a distinctive local snack and souvenir from Saponda Island, thereby supporting the sustainable economic empowerment of coastal communities.