Modeling Fishermen's Welfare: The Role of Sekee Institutions in Buleleng Regency, Bali, Indonesia

Fishermen in Buleleng Regency continue to face constraints in improving their productivity and welfare. These constraints arise from the suboptimal utilization of production factors, the ineffective functioning of fishermen’s institutions, and insufficient government support, including limited attention to local fishermen’s organizations. This study aims to analyze the determinants of fishermen’s productivity and welfare in Buleleng Regency by examining local institutions rooted in fishermen’s traditional wisdom. The direct, indirect, moderating, and mediating effects were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) based on 171 questionnaires collected through the pick-up survey method. The results indicate that fishermen’s institutions are the main determinant of productivity, whereas the role of government is the main determinant of fishermen’s welfare. Technology does not significantly moderate the relationship between human resource quality and fishermen’s productivity, while the role of government does not significantly moderate the relationship between fishermen’s institutions and productivity. Productivity mediates the relationships between the study variables and fishermen’s welfare. Furthermore, local institutions such as sekee and Fisheries Business Groups (KUB) that apply the sekee mechanism can optimize production factors and promote a more equitable distribution of income, thereby improving fishermen’s welfare. This study emphasizes the importance of strengthening local institutions and increasing productivity to achieve sustainable fishermen’s welfare within the framework of the blue economy.