Just be a Minister, not a Fisherman

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A small crab fishing boat moored at the Karangsong estuary, Indramayu Regency, West Java, Monday (26/10/2020)

It has been four months since Ribut Bachtiar, 48, has not headed out to sea. Falling fish prices, low catches, and the Covid-19 pandemic have forced him to stay at home.

He refers to himself as a jobless “hard” laborer. Many other fishermen along the Pantura (northern Javanese coast) are experiencing the same difficulties during these trying times.

The fisherman from Gebang, Cirebon regency, West Java, has been jobless since June 2020. Occasionally, he attends virtual meetings organized by a number of institutions to discuss the issues affecting Indonesian fishers.

Also read: Fishermen Await Commitment Realization

The problem is that they can go out to sea, but it is likely that they will not earn profits, but make losses. They catch less than 1 quintal of crab after seven days at sea. At Rp 70,000 per kilogram, a fisherman earns a maximum of just Rp 7 million for 1 quintal of crab.

To eat, we end up in debt with our friends. Yes, it’s digging a hole and filling it up again.

"In fact, it costs Rp 6 million to Rp 7 million to go to sea. Rather than making losses, it\'s better to be jobless," Ribut said on Wednesday (28/10/2020). Moreover, he had to share his catch with five other people. Therefore, being jobless was the more logical choice.

"To eat, we end up in debt with our friends. Yes, it’s digging a hole and filling it up again. However, I don\'t want to think too much about debt. I’ll fall ill,” said Ribut.

Also read: Granting Access to Foreign Ships Threatens Fisheries

In fact, the father of three is working hard to raise money. He has a big dream to send his second child to the fisheries and marine sciences school at IPB University.

"Everything takes capital. I must provide! I hope my son will become a minister. If not, his life will be like mine, a fisherman’s,” said Ribut, who never finished elementary school.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Chairman of the Indonesian Fishermen\'s Union, Indramayu Daryati, checks his ship at the Karangsong estuary, Indramayu Regency, West Java, Monday (26/10/2020). Fishermen have complained that the selling price of fish has fallen by almost 50 percent due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

His youngest child is still in elementary school. His eldest son graduated from Paket C, the equivalent of a senior high school education.

"My first child was about to go to [South] Korea. He had fulfilled all requirements, but then the coronavirus [came]," he said. Ribut’s son has yet to realize his dream of becoming an Indonesian migrant worker.

Threatened with cantrang

Akhmad Kusnanto, 25, another small-scale crab fisherman, has also not been out fishing for over a month. = His parents’ boat and the boats of other fishermen are anchored in the Karangsong estuary of Indramayu regency, West Java. Their reason is the same as Ribut’s: The incomes they make from their catches are not enough to cover their costs.

The situation could worsen because cantrang (seine nets), the environmentally harmful fishing equipment, have again been permitted for use. Kusnanto discovered that the 100 bubu (small crab traps) he had installed in the sea had been damaged.

"The [traps] were damaged by cantrang. We chased after the [trawler], but it escaped,” he said.

Also read: Hopes of Lobster Farmers Shattered

As a result of the incident, he suffered losses of around Rp 2.5 million. He didn’t know where to report the incident, which was not the first to occur, so it would not happen again.

Furthermore, the government is currently drafting regulations that would lift the ban on a number of fishing equipment, including cantrang. In fact, this change in policy could cause a conflict among small-scale and large-scale fishermen, as with Kusnanto’s experience.

The problem is clearly a complex one and only adds to the list of problems that small-scale fishermen have been facing during the Covid-19 crisis. These issues have remained unresolved since the epidemic emerged in Indonesia, resulting in a nearly 50 percent fall in fish prices. The price of remang (hagfish), for example, is now Rp 28,000 per kg, down from the normal price of Rp 40,000 per kg.

Also read: It’s Time to Develop the Marine Industry

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Chairman of the Indonesian Fishermen\'s Union, Indramayu Daryati, is preparing to go to sea in the Karangsong estuary, Indramayu Regency, West Java, Monday (26/10/2020).

Fish Auction Sites (TPI) business and management head Tahta Rahmatullah at the Indramayu Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office said that the various issues fishermen were facing had caused a dramatic drop in marine fisheries catches at 14 TPIs in Indramayu regency.

As of September, TPIs recorded a combined catch of 21,123 tons, just 40 percent of this year\'s target catch of 53,927 tons.

"This year, the target for local revenue from TPIs must also be revised from Rp 13 billion to Rp 9 billion," he said.

Also read: Chaos in Maritime Highway Shipping

Daryati, the chairperson of the Indramayu Indonesian Fishermen\'s Union, is concerned about her family’s future if the fish prices did not stabilize. Moreover, none of her four children has ever gone to university. Her eldest child only completed elementary school, while her second child graduated senior high school. Her third child did not finish junior high school, while her youngest child has not started school.

"I already have a 1-year-old granddaughter. Her name is Sri Mulyani. Hopefully, she will become a minister too," said Daryati, referring to Indonesia’s finance minister.

Falling incomes

The catch is only enough for a day\'s needs

A number of small-scale fishermen are also facing difficult conditions on the northern coast of Karawang, West Java.

Yani, 55, a fisherman in Cemarajaya village, Cibuaya district, Karawang, said that his income had dropped dramatically due to the falling fish prices and reduced catch.

He can no longer earn an income of even Rp 200,000 each time to goes out to sea, whereas he used to make a minimum of Rp 500,000 per trip.

"The catch is only enough for a day\'s needs," said Yani.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

The government aid ship KM Inka Mina 122 stalled in Karangsong waters, Indramayu Regency, West Java, Monday (26/10/2020).

The health crisis has also affected the direct selling price of shrimp from fishermen. Usually, Yani sells his shrimp for Rp 90,000-Rp 120,000 per kg. Now, he can only sell his shrimp for Rp 70,000-Rp 75,000 per kg.

In fact, the income Yani makes these days is not worth the efforts and risks he faces while at sea.

Every day, Yani heads out to sea with two friends in a boat weighing 2 gross tons (GT), setting sail at 4:30 a.m. and returning to shore at around 2:00 p.m. He fishes out to 20 kilometers from the coast. The risk he faces is even greater if high waves and bad weather get in the way.

"There is fear, of course, but for the sake of filling our stomachs, yes, we still have to go to sea. This is the risk of being a fisherman," he said.

One day, he was ill so he did not go to sea, and had to borrow around Rp 500,000 from a neighbor. He repaid the money in installments.

The catches of Karawang fishermen never reach 10 kg each time they go out to sea.

Wanosuki, the secretary of the Karawang regency branch of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI), said that many fishermen ended up having to borrow money at high interest rates to meet their families’ daily needs. Small-scale fishermen became mired in increasing debt when they were unable to fish because of bad weather or low catches.

The difficulties were only growing for small-scale fishermen in Karawang because they were unable to compete with the recent incursion of big fishing vessels that were catching more and more fish in their areas.

"Karawang’s traditional fishermen are becoming increasingly marginalized due to the presence of large fishing boats from Tegal, Brebes and Jepara. The catches of Karawang fishermen never reach 10 kg each time they go out to sea,” said Wanosuki.