Double Plight of Small Fishermen

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Fishermen transport crabs they catch in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, Friday (10/7/2020). Since March 2020, fishermen have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Small and traditional fishermen have received the double impact of declining fish prices and catches.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The income of small and traditional fishers has plummeted due to falling fish prices in line with the decline in purchasing power during the Covid-19 health crisis. Their suffering only increased with the decline in catches due to the widespread use of trawls and cantrang (seine nets).

This is the situation that Kompas has observed in its investigations over the past week at the country’s fishery centers, including Jayapura, Ambon, Karawang, Indramayu, Cirebon, Rembang, Cilacap, Natuna and Anambas.

At the Hamadi fish auction center in Jayapura, Papua, the price of tuna plummeted from Rp 30,000 per kilogram before the epidemic to Rp 17,000 per kg. Fish sales also slumped at Hamadi Market during the health emergency. As a result, the fishers’ incomes have declined significantly.

Hamzah, a fisherman at the Hamadi fish auction center, said that before the coronvirus, he made an income of up to Rp 700,000 for 12 hours of fishing, but now he made only Rp 200,000.

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Due to their reduced income, many fishermen in Semarang have finally decided not to head out to sea. Their fishing boats are docked, unused, at the Hamadi fish auction center.

Juber Sitorus, who chairs the Papua provincial branch of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI), said that about 4,000 fishermen in Papua had been affected by the health crisis. Their incomes had fallen by an average of 50 percent.

The collectors set the prices, and the fishermen are left helpless.

Meanwhile, in Maluku, traditional fishers are forced to sell their fish at very low prices to collectors due to a lack of market access. The collectors set the prices, and the fishermen are left helpless.

Haris Pilpala, 40, a fisherman in the Banda Islands of Central Maluku regency, Maluku, said that the price of momar (shortfin scad) was usually Rp 9,000 per kg, but had dropped to Rp 4,000 per kg. Meanwhile, the price of tuna had plummeted from Rp 70,000 per kg previously to Rp 27,000 per kg.

"This time, the fish prices have fallen too low due to insufficient demand. According to buyers, this is due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the fisherman, who usually fishes at sea using a motorboat weighing 5 gross tons (GT).

Yadi Bustan, 45, a fisherman from Kawa village, Seram Island, also complained about the low fish prices. According to Yadi, who catches tuna and skipjack tuna in the Seram Sea, the price of young tuna had dropped to Rp 13,000 per kg, while skipjack was now Rp 10,000 per kg. He sells most of his catch in the village.

Kawa village has about 200 fishermen, each owning a motorboat.

"There are those who try to sell directly to Ambon, but the cost of the journey is much higher than the fish prices," he said.

Hardy, 50, a fisherman in the Aru Islands, Maluku, said that the price of reef fish had also dropped. The price of grouper, which was previously Rp 60,000 per kg, had fallen to Rp 20,000 per kg. "Many fishermen go fishing just for [their own personal] consumption," said Hardy, who usually fishes the Arafura Sea.

The price of fish has also declined in Karawang, Indramayu and Rembang on the northern coast of Java and Cilacap on the southern coast of Java, dropping 50 percent in these areas.

Reduced catch

In addition to the plummeting fish prices, fishers have also been hit by a decline in harvest. Achmad Dany, 23, a fisherman in Gedongmulyo village of Lasem district, Rembang, Central Java, said that he often saw large trawlers in recent days.

The fishermen’s nets have also been damaged by the trawls.

"Since they [big ships] use trawls, fish, squid, small crabs and coral reefs have died. So our catch has dropped dramatically. The fishermen’s nets have also been damaged by the trawls,” he said.

Previously, Dany could catch up to 10 kg of squid and crab from one spot on the sea. However, his average catch is now just 2 kg, with crab selling for Rp 25,000 per kg.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Workers lift fish from fishing boats at Nizam Zachman Ocean Fishing Port, North Jakarta, on Tuesday (28/4/2020).

His daily haul is not enough to cover his capital or fuel. He spends around Rp 114,000 on diesel fuel each time he refuels his 5 GT boat.

Because of the lost income, Dany decided not to fish every day. In fact, he has rarely headed out to sea in the last three months.

At Menganti Beach in Kesugihan district, Cilacap regency, Central Java, traditional fishermen have also had difficulty catching fish due to the widespread use of payang trawl nets by large vessels in shallow waters.

"In the past, it was easy to catch 50 kg to 100 kg of snapper, but now it is very difficult to catch even 10 kg or 20 kg, because more and more boats are using payang. These nets can catch the smallest fish, and our nets are often damaged because they become caught in traps,” said Saliman 45, a Menganti Beach fisherman.

The waters of Natuna, Anambas and Tambelan (Riau Islands), which have relatively large populations of fish, have not been excluded from the impacts of boats using cantrang and trawls.

Many of these vessels fished waters less than 12 miles from the coastline.

Hendri, who chairs the Natuna Regency Fishermen\'s Alliance (ANKN), said that around 830 trawlers of various types, mainly using purse seines, were fishing the Natuna Sea from the eastern coast of Sumatra, or using cantrang from the northern coast of Java. Many of these vessels fished waters less than 12 miles from the coastline.

"This has caused unfair use of fish resources. Besides, the cantrang sweeps the sea to the bottom. If the coral reefs are damaged, the fish will not return for a week,” said Hendri.

Dedi Syahputra, the secretary of the HSNI’s Anambas Islands branch, estimated that about 300 trawlers of various types were currently operating in Anambas waters.

"At night, the Anambas waters are like a city, very bright. There are too many trawlers. We are worried about overfishing," said Dedi.

Permitted

Suhana, a marine economist and the head of the Center for Maritime Development and Civilization Studies, said that cantrang and trawlers had grown in popularity early this year after the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry announced that it would lift its ban on several kinds of fishing equipment.

The equipment includes shrimp trawls, payang, cantrang and others classified as seine nets. It also includes fishing rods, squid fishing rods, huhate (traditional pole and line), small pelagic purse seines and large pelagic ring trawls for a pair of vessels.

Kompas/Yuniadhi Agung

ishermen prepare boat needs before leaving to catch fish from Muara Angke Harbor, North Jakarta, on Sunday (2/5/2020).

"Trawls and cantrang are not environmentally friendly because they damage the marine ecosystem and are not selective, because small fish are also caught," Suhana said.

The fisheries ministry is currently revising its regulations on the fisheries industry, including the kinds of fishing equipment it permits.

Mohammad Zaini, the acting director general of capture fisheries at the ministry, said that the use of cantrang was not considered as environmentally harmful.

"The conflict that has risen regarding the use of cantrang is not about whether it damages the environment or not, but more about the cantrang frequently disrupting and damaging the fishing gear of traditional fishermen. Thus, the [fishing] routes of the cantrang boats will be rearranged,” he said. (FLO/ERK/SHR/FRN/LKT/NDU/DKA)