The Lives and Deaths of Fishermen in a Brokered Sea

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Rustam (48) caught tuna in waters about 45 kilometers east of Natuna Besar Island, Riau Islands, Saturday (26/3/2022).

The sun was just about to rise when a 4 gross tonnage wooden ship set sail. A dark-skinned man with stiff hair carried the vessel past dozens of other fishing boats moored at Teluk Baruk Harbor in Natuna Regency, Riau Islands, on Saturday (26/3/2022).

The fisherman on the wooden boat was Rustam, 48. With the pompon (wooden ship) he went to sea to look for tuna about 45 kilometers off the east coast of Natuna Besar Island.

The ship's 16 horsepower diesel engine roared and made a banging sound like a children's toy ship sold at a night market. The smell of diesel slowly crept from between the boards on the floor of the ship.

"It can't go fast, but this engine has never broken down," said the father of three with a proud smile.

Rustam has been a fisherman since the age of 18. He has experienced the impacts of changing fisheries policies from the time of president Soeharto to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. “In Pak Harto's time, fishing boats from Thailand, Vietnam and others were allowed to fish here. Fishermen like me struggled because the fish had been hauled in by foreign ships,” he said.

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In 1985, the government allowed foreign fishing vessels to operate 12 miles from the coast, in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This created a lot of problems. Until 1989, some 1,200 foreign fishing vessels operated in Indonesia’s EEZ annually (Kompas, 15/5/1990).

At the time, a number of foreign vessels operated in Indonesian waters with expired permits, only photocopies of permits or even without permits at all.

However, the actual number is thought to be much higher than the official government data. At the time, a number of foreign vessels operated in Indonesian waters with expired permits, only photocopies of permits or even without permits at all. In addition, many foreign fishing vessels violated fishing zone regulations by operating within 12 miles of the coast (Kompas, 18/3/1996).

According to Rustam, the number of foreign fishing vessels operating in the Natuna Sea slowly decreased after the New Order collapsed. However, some foreign fishing vessels continue to fish illegally in Indonesian waters. Intrusions of foreign fishing vessels were limited somewhat after the government established the illegal fishing task force (Satgas 115) in 2015, wherein the procedure for the direct sinking of illegal fishing vessels was established.

“At the time, there were no foreign ships and there were a lot of fish. If [Indonesian] fishermen wanted to fish close to the border, they didn't have to worry. There were many police ships guarding them," he said.

KOMPAS/KRIS RAZIANTO MADA

Awak KRI Barakuda-633 menangkap nelayan asing di Laut Natuna. TNI AL meledakan tiga kapal nelayan asing, Jumat (5/12/2014) di Laut Natuna.

It was noon when the global positioning system (GPS) in Rustam’s pompon showed the ship's position at 45 kilometers from Teluk Baruk Harbor. The tuna jumped around the pompon. Quickly, Rustam prepared the hooks and then spooled out lures on a woolen fishing line. He tied two fishing rods to the left and right of the ship. There were five hooks on each rod. He also held a line with five hooks that was lowered from the stern of the ship.

From a distance, the silhouettes of the fishermen could be seen at the stern of the pompon, each repeatedly lifting fish from the sea. This went on until the sun rose.

Rustam maneuvered his pompon around the school. A few minutes later, a tuna took the bait on one of his lures. Skillfully, he reeled it in. The tuna floundered violently as it was lifted from the sea. After that, he grabbed the radio and announced his position to other fishermen. One by one the other pompons approached. The other six pompons followed along in circles on the same path as Rustam. From a distance, the silhouettes of the fishermen could be seen at the stern of the pompon, each repeatedly lifting fish from the sea. This went on until the sun rose.

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Double Plight of Small Fishermen

On the way back to Teluk Baruk Harbor, in the distance, a bright light could be seen in the night sky. Dozens of purse seine nets were clustered like an island full of lights.

"Now there are more and more large ships from outside the area. If that's the case, then the fish in our sea will eventually run out," he said.

Leaving family

Anto, 47, who used to catch fish in Kendari Bay, Southeast Sulawesi, has also seen times of struggle as a fisherman. Before traveling to Kendari, Anto fished widely in Makassar waters. Fishing ran in his blood. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were fishermen from a small island in Pangkajene regency, South Sulawesi, and he had been a fisherman since childhood.

But because fish had become hard to find in the waters off Makassar, he was forced to leave his family to try his luck in Kendari. Invited by a family relative, he decided to join the crew of a fishing ship operating in Kendari and surrounding areas.

SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Nasir (41), a small crab fisherman shows his yellowed hands after looking for catch in Kendari Bay, Friday (26/3/2021), in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.

He has tried to survive with this job to support his family, but he feels it is physically demanding and that he is no longer young.

"It can't be helped, this is all we know. The important thing is that there is income that can be sent, the family can eat and the children can go to school. It's difficult to expect riches from fishermen," he said.

Anto and his colleagues work about 20 days a month, but numbers can vary depending on the conditions. They catch surface-dwelling fish around the waters of Kendari, Konawe and South Konawe, about 5 nautical miles from the coast.

He sends most of his income to his wife and four children.

Arif, 38, another fisherman in Kendari, has had similar struggles. After decades of being a fisherman, he feels he has not experienced much economic improvement. While fishing in Southeast Sulawesi, he has chosen to stay on a ship like Anto's. He sends most of his income to his wife and four children.

The price of daily necessities have been rising, especially before the month of Ramadan.

"Being a fisherman is now difficult. We have be careful with this. It has not included conflict with other fishermen at sea," he said.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.