PORTALJABAR, BEKASI REGENCY - The Bekasi Regency Fisheries Service is providing small-scale fishermen with training in the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to help them determine fishing grounds, understand weather information, and improve safety at sea.

The activity, which took place in the Tarumajaya District Office Hall, Tuesday (27/10/2026), was attended by 50 local fishermen.

The Head of the Fishermen Empowerment Team of the Bekasi Regency Fisheries Service, Tasim Suryadi, said the training aims to improve fishermen's ability to utilize technology, understand natural conditions, and determine their position at sea.

"The hope is that our fishermen will become more technologically literate and able to utilize available resources. Furthermore, there are mitigation and navigation aspects, so fishermen can know their coordinates and understand natural conditions before going out to sea," said Tasim.

In this activity, the Fisheries Service presented a resource person from the Class I Meteorological Station of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Tanjung Priok, Andi Cahyadi, as well as an extension coordinator who is experienced in GPS and navigation training for fishermen.

According to Tasim, understanding weather information is important because fishing activities are greatly influenced by water conditions, including wave height, current speed, wind speed, and potential for rain.

Through the materials provided, fishermen are expected to be able to read weather information from the BMKG app as a consideration before deciding to go out to sea. This information will also help them anticipate weather changes, especially during the rainy season and when the westerly winds arrive.

"From the BMKG information, fishermen can at least study wave data, current speed, wind speed, and rainfall predictions for the next few days. Hopefully, before deciding to go out to sea, they can consider the weather conditions and potential risks," he said.

In addition to improving safety, the use of GPS and weather information is expected to help fishermen plan fishing activities more effectively. Until now, some fishermen still rely on experience, instinct, and habit to determine fishing locations.

Tasim explained that technology can support this experience, especially in helping determine fishing locations, saving search time, and making fuel use more efficient.

Utilizing technology doesn't have to be expensive. Fishermen can use their existing mobile phones to access the BMKG app and utilize the GPS feature, obtaining necessary information without purchasing a new device.

"By leveraging available technology, we hope fishermen will have better operational planning for their fishing operations. This will result in more efficient fishing times, lower fuel consumption, and a catch that meets targets, while still prioritizing safety," he said.

Tasim added that similar training could potentially be implemented in other coastal areas if evaluation results show benefits for fishermen. Muaragembong District is one of the areas being considered because it has the largest fishing population in Bekasi Regency.

According to data from the Bekasi Regency Fisheries Service, provided by Tasim, the number of fishermen in Bekasi Regency has reached 4,073. Approximately 75 percent of them live in Muaragembong District, around 20 percent in Tarumajaya District, and the remainder are spread across Babelan and Cabangbungin Districts.

Through this training, it is hoped that small-scale fishermen will be increasingly able to utilize technology to support more planned fishing activities, reduce risks at sea, and increase operational efficiency.

"In principle, our fishermen must be safe and prosperous. Both physically and economically," Tasim concluded.

(Bekasi Regency Communications and Information Service/bhf)