Abundant Blessings from ‘Sasi’ in Mayalibit Bay

The people of Yensner village in Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua, practice sasi, their ancestral wisdom, in exploiting the local marine biodiversity.

FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

The coastline of Yensner village in Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua, as seen on Thursday (3/6/2021)

Four plastic balls float on the seas directly off the coast of Yensner village, Mayalibit Bay. The floats indicate that the marine environment should not be disturbed carelessly. Not all the marine life in it can be harvested. If there are marine biota that can be harvested, they must be caught in an environmentally friendly way. The local residents obey the restrictive rules, which is called sasi in the local language.

The four floats are positioned to form a rectangle that extends from two headlands flanking Yensner village in Raja Ampat regency, West Papua. The community-protected area is around 1 kilometer long and 2 kilometers wide, towards the middle of the bay.

The sasi marine zone had just been harvested in April to May 2021. Local residents remembered that this was the designated harvest season following the longest period of sasi. The area was restricted for nearly nine years. The resulting catch was fantastic.

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“At the time sasi was [eased] for one month, the community harvested sea cucumbers and lobsters. After selling all of them, we got more than Rp 1 billion. This did not include fish. So the result was huge,” Ishak Burdam, 49, a Yensner traditional leader, said in early July 2021.

During a sasi period, not all areas in the marine zone can be fished. The permitted fishing area starts 1.5 kilometers from the village coastline and extends to the middle of the bay. The area beyond this should not be touched because it is considered a core zone, or “fish bank”.

The sasi tradition is still enforced strictly by the residents of Yensner village in Mayalibit Bay district, Raja Ampat, West Papua. The tradition is a local wisdom that has been passed down from generation to generation and is maintained by the local residents to manage the use of natural resources.

What this means is that the fish and all the marine biota in the core zone are like the principal of the community’s investment. The residents only use the interest derived from the principal, namely the fish or biota that spill over or move out of the core zone.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A betel plant bears a sasi sign on Thursday (3/6/2021) in Yensner village, Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

The community also has rules so that only fish may be caught, and only by using fishing rods.

"No nets, no potash, let alone bombs, are allowed. We will go after those [who violate the rule],” said Ishak, who has reprimanded nonresident fishermen who had cast their nets there on several occasions.

Sasi is the communal wisdom that regulates natural resource management so nature can benefit humans in a sustainable manner. The sasi that is practiced in Yensner is the same as the sasi practiced in parts of Papua and Maluku. It protects natural resources not only in the ocean, but also in forests.

The area where sasi applies is usually determined in line with the community’s needs. The area in and around Yensner is rich in sea cucumbers and lobsters. After the duration of sasi is set, the holders of the customary area leave it to the church to hold a ceremony. The sasi markers are then taken to the church to be blessed before placing them in the selected area.

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The markers are blessed by praying for the abundance of natural products at the sasi zone. After the ceremony, the blessing is immediately announced to the public. Likewise, it is also announced when the sasi is lifted. The yield from the sasi zone is usually used for the community.

"We used the Rp 1 billion proceeds from the sasi to build a church," said Ishak.

It is not only Yensner that applies sasi to the local waters, but also many other villages in Mayalibit Bay. The district has a total of 11 villages including Yensner, with the other 10 being the villages of Go, Kabilol, Waifoi, Arawai, Warimak, Mumes, Kalitoko, Lopintol, Warsambin, and Wegalas.

Each village has its own rules. In Warsambin village, for example, the residents were prohibited from catching fish less than 20 centimeters long. It is also forbidden for them to make arrests from Sunday night to Monday night.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A residential settlement in Yensner village, Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua, is pictured on Thursday (3/6/2021).

Other villages also have specific rules. In Waifoi, it is forbidden to harvest sea cucumbers that are less than 25 centimeters long. In Wegalas, it is permitted to catch small crab whose shells measured more than 10 centimeters wide. In Lopintol, reef fish shorter than 10 centimeters must be released.

The rules that apply in sasi villages are not very different. They have one thing in common, however: Nonresident fishermen are prohibited from fishing the local waters. Only residents are allowed to fish their waters. The communities are sovereign in managing the natural resources in their area.

Hosea Dam, a resident of Warsambin village, said that maintaining the sasi culture maintained the marine products in Mayalibit Bay.

Giving an example, he said that on a moonless night, the people could easily catch mackerel, locally called ikan lema.

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With the help of Petromax (kerosene) lamps, they led the mackerel to land and simply scooped up the fish once they reached the shoreline. The mackerel they caught were over 30 centimeters long.

"During fishing season, we can easily catch thousands of fish," said Hosea.

Despite practicing sasi, there were always outsiders who tried to fish the marine zone in secret. According to Hosea, sooner or later, they would be sanctioned.

“If the sasi was [imposed] by the church, they may still be forgiven by God, but if the sasi was by custom, there is usually no mercy. Those who stole [from the sea] will be searched, whether what they had stolen were sharks or crocodiles,” added Abraham, another resident of Yensner.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A fisherman docks at the Yensner village pier on Thursday (3/6/2021) in Mayalibit Bay, Raja Ampat, West Papua..

Conservationist spirit

Sasi, the local community’s customary wisdom of the local community, has become stronger since the central government designated the region as a marine conservation area, followed by a number of derivative regional regulations. Sasi and conservation are one breath of the same spirit. Protecting nature helps it provide sustainable benefits.

The 11 villages in Mayalibit Bay also receives assistance from the Regional Public Service Agency (BLUD) of the Technical Implementation Unit under the Raja Ampat Conservation Area Management Service. The agency helps formulate and draft the sasi rules and helps in protecting the area.

“We regularly patrol the villages, so this is why BLUD deemed it necessary to establish a post in Mayalibit. There is a special speedboat,” said Yance Mayor, the commander of the Yeluk Mayalibit Post. Mayalibit Bay is part of the 1.3 million ha Raja Ampat National Marine Conservation Area.

According to Yance, when intensive dissemination of the conservation program began, certain people grew worried that declaring the conservation area would close it off as a source of livelihood for the residents. After an explanation, the residents accepted the conservation program, which turned out to embody the same spirit as sasi.

Today, BLUD and the indigenous communities are working together to preserve sasi. They continue to collaborate to protect the local waters. The benefits to the local communities are not only abundant catches of fish, sea cucumbers or lobsters. Their efforts to protect and preserve nature also attract tourists from many places to come and see the beauty and sustainability of Raja Ampat for themselves.