Bajo ‘Keeping Relationship’ with Octopus for Future Livelihood

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Husain Onte, an octopus trader, weighs an octopus caught by fishermen in Bajo Torosiaje Village, Popayato, Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo Province, Friday (15/7/2022). Husain and a number of other traders agreed to only buy octopus with a size of more than 300 grams.

The fortunes of the Bajo tribe in Torosiaje, Pohuwato regency, Gorontalo, are intimately intertwined with the fortunes of the octopus. They not only live on its revenue as an export commodity, but also use it to formulate medicinal concoctions. Concerned about possible extinction, they “protect” the octopus.

Yanto Sompah (30) meticulously weighed and measured the diameter of an octopus among his catch with a plastic ruler at a resident's house in Torosiaje on Friday (15/7/2022). The sorting activity, which was done to ensure that each octopus was above 300 grams, was recorded by smartphone.

"If the small ones were caught continuously, the octopus would no longer be in reserve because their life span is short, only 18 months," he said.

In accordance with the planned-village regulations and as part of efforts to preserve people’s livelihoods, it is only allowed to catch octopuses weighing above 300 g. The regulation will be institutionalized based on the wishes of fishermen and the directives of the Natural Resources Management Advocacy Network (Japesda).

"We have promoted [the plan] to six catch-pooling agents and [reminded them] to reject small octopuses from fishermen," Japesda’s monitoring-officer Ispan said.

Also read:

> Conserving Marine Resources Through ‘Sasi’

> Conserving Kendal Coastal Areas

Torosiaje is about 250 kilometers from Gorontalo on Sulawesi’s mainland. It constitutes a group of 16 small islands; the surrounding waters are the octopuses’ habitat. According to data at Japesda and local government, the number of octopuses caught from October 2021 to April 2022 amounted to 14,894, which was equivalent to 13 tons and worth Rp 743 million (about US$50,000). The figure was almost equivalent to the village-fund budget of around Rp 1 billion.

The commodity is shipped to Makassar, South Sulawesi, for exports to Japan and the United States. Data at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry show the export of squid, cuttlefish and octopuses in 2020 amounted to 140,036 tons or US$509 million.

The export volume increased about 4 percent from 2016, with the transaction value increasing by 12.3 percent. However, the increasingly high demand for octopuses for consumption carries the risk of leading to indiscriminate exploitation that would subsequently threaten the population of this marine biota, including in Torosiaje.

I was able to bring home up to 30 kilograms per day. Now, it is only 4-5 kg on average per day. The octopuses may be beginning to run out.

Fisherman Moji Tiok (50) looked back to 2014 when octopus catches were abundant. At that time, he said, the number of fishermen hunting for octopuses was still few. “I was able to bring home up to 30 kilograms per day. Now, it is only 4-5 kg on average per day. The octopuses may be beginning to run out," he said.

The prices of octopus range from Rp 30,000 to Rp 75,000 per kg, depending on the size. Octopus sells better than fish, which is usually around Rp 35,000 per kg.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Moji Tiok (50) shows a pocong, an octopus fishing gear, in Torosiaje Village, Popayato District, Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo, Friday (15/7/2022). The fishing gear is environmentally friendly because it does not damage coral reefs. The village government of Torosiaje plans to limit the capture of octopuses to maintain the animal's population.

Moji said he supported the planned-village regulation regarding the ban on capturing small octopuses and restrictions on the octopus-fishing territories. He believed if fishermen allowed octopuses to develop for another two to three months, the commodity could develop into a more commercially valuable weight, with the price expected to double -- for instance, the current Rp 30,000 per kg.

“If I get a 1 kg octopus, it fetches Rp 60,000. This can afford six liters of rice. It’s enough to make my family happy," he said. He wore a shirt with an image of an octopus on it. The accompanying printed words read "Kuwita for Life". Kuwita is a local language lexicon in Central Sulawesi, meaning “octopus”. In Gorontalo, octopus is called kuta.

If I get a 1 kg octopus, it fetches Rp 60,000. This can afford six liters of rice. It’s enough to make my family happy.

Torosiaje village head Uten Sairullah pronounced the village regulation related to octopus procurement to be completed in October and ready for implementation. A monitoring group consisting of representatives from the village administration, Japesda, security personnel and community leaders will be formed with the task of supervising the implementation of the village regulation.

He said they were still drafting sanctions over village-regulation violations. The ultimate goal of the village regulation is to maintain the livelihood of the residents. “Closing a [fishing] location does not mean reducing or interfering with fishermen's income, because there are still other places to look out for octopuses," he said.

Superstitious relationship

The Bajo Torosiaje tribe and the octopus have long had such a symbiotic relationship. Residents who live in stilt houses in the sea take care of coral reefs, where octopuses lay eggs.

"Customary elders here use octopus for treatment if someone is sick," Uten said.

Fadhliyah H. Dai and Ramoend Manahung, in a journal article entitled “Pendidikan Islam dan Budi Pekerti” (Islamic and character education) published in February 2020, wrote that the Bajo people believe that after childbirth, the placenta for a human male will turn into a kuta (octopus). As for the female, the placenta becomes a tuli (crocodile).

The writers from Sultan Amai State Islam Institute (IAIN), Gorontalo, said that octopus and crocodile were believed by the Bajo people to represent an at-sea twin for a newly born baby.

"If someone falls sick, it means that the spirit of his [or her] life has been [partly] taken by their aquatic twin and partly by Dewata (God Almighty)," they wrote.

Also read:

> Marine Conservation in Indonesia

> Untiring Effort to Conserve Turtles

Japesda’s program-manager Christopel Paino said that octopus-fishing restrictions should be viewed as an effort not only to bring people closer to octopuses, but also to increase their income. If the octopus population drops, not only fishermen will be affected, but the marine ecosystem is also at risk. Octopuses are also prone to falling prey to sea mammals, such as dolphins and sharks.

"We hope that a good thing, such as this restriction on octopus capture, can be replicated in other villages, regencies and even provinces," Christopel said.

Superstition apart, the Bajo people have learned a valuable lesson in protecting the sea and its living creatures. The wisdom behind their “preserved relationship” with the octopus is that they conserve nature for the sake of the future. They understand well the message conveyed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that we deserve to protect the oceans and no longer turn our backs on them.

This article was translated by Musthofid.