Conserving Marine Resources Through ‘Sasi’

Name: Conserving Marine Resources Through ‘Sasi’
Uploaded: 2021-02-26T04:30:15Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: For at least the last decade, Devi Paulus Lopulalan has been actively working to protect Seira’s waters that span more than 150 square kilometers.

For at least the last decade, Devi Paulus Lopulalan has been actively working to protect Seira’s waters that span more than 150 square kilometers.

Fransiskus Pati Herin

· 5 minutes read

The waters of Seira Island, in the Tanimbar archipelago of Maluku, are rich in marine resources, especially fisheries, flying fish roe and sea cucumbers. Maritime criminals often exploit the region’s marine resources. For at least the last decade, Devi Paulus Lopulalan has been actively working to protect Seira’s waters that span more than 150 square kilometers.

Devi Paulus Lopulalan, who goes by the nickname “Depol”, approached a number of tall men who were glaring at him. As he reached them, Depol’s gaze fell on a single man, who he motioned to follow him to a nearby hut.

There, Depol burst out: “How many millions [of rupiah] have you reaped from selling sea cucumbers?”

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The man hung his head in silence. Depol put another question to him.

“Don’t you know that [dozens of] parents now find it difficult to earn money to pay for their children’s school tuitions? I’m asking you now to stop,” Depol admonished the man.

It was Aug. 26, 2017 on Tatunarwatu Island, the fifth island Depol had visited over the past two days on a mission to track down the theft of sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea). The island was suspected to be a hiding place for a gang of sea cucumber poachers. He had gathered the information from local residents and fishermen on the islands of Seira, Ngolin, Tamdalan Nawa and Wuriaru.

Don’t you know that [dozens of] parents now find it difficult to earn money to pay for their children’s school tuitions?

This island cluster is located to the west of Yamdena Island, the largest in Tanimbar Islands regency. To reach the nearest island of Seira from Yamdena, it takes around 1 hour by motorboat. It takes two to four hours to reach the four other islands.

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Depol had made the trip to Tatunarwatu to warn the gang to stop poaching the sea cucumbers, at the behest of the local island communities. Sea cucumbers are the livelihood of around 7,000 local islanders. The use the profits they make from selling the sea cucumbers is to pay for their children’s education.

The poaching of sea cucumbers was widespread in 2017. The young men that Depol had approached on Tatunarwatu had been hired by certain financiers, and also had the backing of security officials. They were equipped with compressors and diving equipment to poach sea cucumbers at night. The selling price of sea cucumbers then ranged from Ro 245,000 to Rp 1.8 million per kilogram.

Depol’s investigation resulted in public reports on the sea cucumber poaching. Following this incident, many sought him out: both those seeking more information and others who wanted to intimidate him. Representatives from several government institutions, including the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, traveled to Seira Island. In the end, the security officials that had aided the sea cucumber poaching were prosecuted.

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In addition to sea cucumbers, Depol also campaigns to stop the illegal fishing of flying fish (Hirundichthys oxycephalus) for their roe by fishermen from outside Maluku. Each year between the months of May and September, approximately 100 fishing vessels come to illegally hunt flying fish.

When the tide is high and the flying fish are spawning, the illegal fishermen go into action. One vessel can harvest up to 1 ton of flying fish roe, which are then sold for Rp 400,000 per kilogram. It is feared that the exploitation of flying fish for their eggs will reduce the local population of the species. Maluku fishermen have complained about the illegal activity and have called for a crackdown on the exploitation of flying fish.

Local wisdom

Amid the rampant exploitation of marine resources, Depol realized that the Maluku tradition of sasi was a valuable asset in campaigning for marine protection and conservation.

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Sasi refers to a long-standing regional tradition that helps conserve marine resources. During a period of sasi, hunting or harvesting marine resources is prohibited. Once the sasi period ends, the ban is lifted and the local people may again hunt or harvest marine resources, including sea cucumbers. The tradition aims to control the hunting and harvesting of marine resources by giving the marine ecosystem time to recover and marine animals to restore their populations, which in turn helps improve production yield.

To safeguard the implementation of sasi, Depol, together with local and indigenous leaders, encourages local communities to conduct maritime patrols. The communities have formed a team of “marine protectors” that involves the local youth. Depol has appointed each island community to provide surveillance.

The communities monitor and record the movement of people and vessels that arrive in the area and gather additional information on the ground. They immediately report anything suspicious to Depol, who will then follow up on the reports. Those who live on islands where cellular signals do not reach usually ask the local fishermen to carry their written reports to Depol on Seira Island.

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The collaboration between Depol and the island communities have enabled the local people to enjoy the benefits of a greater abundance of marine resources in a more sustainable manner.

“Now, the [population] of sea cucumbers has increased again and the local people find it easier to make a profit to improve their welfare. The exploitation of flying fish roe has also received attention from the government,” Depol said in Ambon earlier this month.