Croaker Fisherman's Elegy in Arguni Bay

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Sawajir Wegiri (45), a fisherman, catching ganadi fish in the waters of Arguni Bay, about 500 meters from Feternu Village, Upper Arguni Bay District, Kaimana Regency, West Papua, Wednesday (16/2/2021).

The expanse of mangroves in Arguni Bay in Kaimana has long provided the livelihoods of the fishermen of Feternu village, with the bay holding quantities of ganadi or gulama (croaker fish). However, they are now lamenting that their catch continues to shrink.

The sun had just risen when Sawajir Wegiri, 45, busied himself pulling up his net in the waters of Arguni Bay, about 500 meters from the shoreline of Feternu village, Kaimana regency, West Papua. While bobbing in his canoe, he hoped the fish he was looking for would be entangled in the net.

Also read:

The Natural Fortress that Protects the Taroi Coast

"We've been casting nets all night. Not a single ganadi has been caught yet,” said Sawajir as he continued to pull the net he had spread across 30 meters.

More than 20 minutes passed. He got only one croaker weighing less than 100 grams and 11 unexpected eel-tail catfish. Disappointed at the meager catch, he turned back to shore.

Fellow fisherman Dali Ufenia, 45, also bemoaned the bleak situation, saying he rarely got any croakers, even though he set his fishing net four times a day. "It seems the croakers have disappeared," he said.

In the 1990s, the villagers managed to catch croaker weighing up to 3 kilograms. The difference between then and now is the mesh of the fishing net. At that time, fishermen used large-holed mesh and the catch used to be equally large.

Fishermen have also been forced to reduce the mesh size to about half its original size.

Due to large-scale fishing, the catch from Arguni Bay has gradually become smaller fish in smaller quantities. Fishermen have also been forced to reduce the mesh size to about half its original size. Quite often they end up catching fry.

"This is because every day fishermen go to search for the croaker," Dali said.

Export commodity

Why are fishermen so eager to look for croakers? The fish’s swim bladder, also known as fish maw, is of high value. It sells for millions rupiah per kg in Singapore, China and Japan.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Large and small ganadi fish caught by fishermen in the waters of Arguni Bay, about 500 meters from Feternu Village, Upper Arguni Bay District, Kaimana Regency, West Papua, Wednesday (16/2/2021).

Fish maw is a source of collagen, which can be processed into food and is said to be an important nutrient for pregnancy. Collagen is also used as an ingredient in beauty products. In addition, the fish maw can be processed into surgical threads used by surgeons.

The fishermen in Arguni Bay were not aware of the croaker’s high economic value until 2001. They began hunting the croaker after that, with throngs of fishing boats flocking to the waters of the bay.

Johanadi Hasan, 42, who buys the catch from local fishermen for resale, acknowledged the decrease in the commodity due to the shrinking catch over the past years. He said he could collect only 1 kg of croaker maw a week, while in 2012 he could take up to 10 kg.

In addition, the weight of the fish maw had gotten lighter. The previous maw weight of 30 to 40 grams was practically gone, he said, and even 10 to 20 gram swim bladders were becoming hard to find.

“They are now only 5 grams or less. This condition been around for about the past five years," Johanadi said.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Ganadi fish bubbles that have dried and are ready for sale owned by a collector in Feternu Village, Teluk Arguni Atas District, Kaimana Regency, West Papua, Wednesday (16/2/2021).

Johanadi usually has to wait for about 20 kg of maw to accumulate before sending it to Jakarta or Surabaya, where the commodity is exported overseas.

He takes fish maw not only from croakers but also eel-tail catfish and snapper, but the croaker maw sells for the most.

Cooling vessel

Besides the shrinking catch, the fishermen also face problems of storage, as there is no place to hold their catch.

As a result, Dali Ufenia said, the fishermen threw the fish meat back into the sea after scraping out the maw. They also discarded other fish of low economic value, as the fish was just an added burden if left in the canoe.

Therefore, the fishermen hope that a storage vessel can be constructed in the bay.

Another reason was that if they brought them directly to the downtown market, the fish would rot quickly. Therefore, the fishermen hope that a storage vessel can be constructed in the bay.

Feternu village head Adam Wegiri called for more controlled fishing activity to avoid massive exploitation that would threaten the ecosystem.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Children who are with their parents looking for karaka sit in a hut built around a mangrove forest or mangi-mangi in the waters of Arguni Bay, Kaimana Regency, West Papua, Tuesday (15/6/2021).

Hamis, a young villager, expressed his concern that uncontrolled exploitation would threaten the livelihoods of fishermen. “They may take as many fish as they want. However, then our generation will not be able to have them," he said.

Lamenting the shrinking catch in Arguni Bay, the villagers are hopeful there will be a way out of their situation.

(This article was translated by Musthofid).