Abstract : Mackerel is one type of seawater fish belonging to the pelagic group which has a distinctive delicious taste so that it is favored by the community. Mackerel fish can be found in Indonesian waters, especially in West Papua. Mackerel can be preserved through drying or fermentation processes, including Bekasam. The Bekasam is a fermented fish product that has a sour taste. During the fermentation process, there is the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and it is potential to be used as a probiotic candidate. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of LAB as probiotic candidates, and to determine the inhibition activity of LAB against pathogenic bacteria. This study is a descriptive study, which describes the characteristics of LAB cells as candidates for probiotic bacteria and also describes the ability of LAB to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. The results showed that of the six samples investigated, there were 3 samples of LAB that were potential as probiotic candidates, namely samples FST 1, FST 2, and FNT2. Furthermore, sample FST 2 showed the highest inhibition activity against Escherichia coli, while sample FNT 3 was not able to inhibit E. coli at all. Meanwhile, sample FNT 1 had the highest inhibition activity in inhibiting the growth of Salmonella typhimurium, while sample FST 2 was unable to inhibit S. typhimurium. Furthermore, sample FST 1 had the highest inhibition activity in inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus.