The community service team from Borneo Tarakan University (UBT) officially introduced the innovative Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology to the Raja Ikan fish farming group (Pokdakan) in Kampung Empat Village, Tarakan City. This initiative is designed to overcome classic constraints in catfish seed nursery, namely high water consumption and environmental quality fluctuations that often hinder fish growth.
This cross-disciplinary collaborative project is led by Miska Sanda Lembang from the Aquaculture Study Program, assisted by Noerman Adi Prasetya in the field of construction engineering and Rusdy Setiawan in the field of economic management. Through funding from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, the team built an integrated pond facility capable of re-filtering wastewater from aquaculture, keeping water circulation clean with more efficient volume usage.
Since its launch in May 2026, the program has included a series of stages ranging from technical socialization, precision concrete pond infrastructure construction, to the installation of filtration systems and aeration systems. The applied RAS technology allows catfish farmers to monitor water quality more accurately, while reducing the risk of seed mortality that often occurs due to the accumulation of organic waste in the pond.
More than just physical assistance, this mentoring also targets aspects of business sustainability. Group members are educated on production cost analysis, financial record-keeping, and modern aquaculture standard operating procedures (SOPs). This support also includes the provision of water quality measurement tools and sorting tubs to minimize cannibalism among catfish.
The leader of Pokdakan Raja Ikan, Sadirun, expressed his appreciation for the support of UBT academics. He hopes this new facility will be a stepping stone for his group to increase production scale independently. This innovation is expected to serve as a pilot model for other farmers in Tarakan to create a productive, resource-efficient fisheries ecosystem, and contribute to animal protein security at the regional level.
