Aceh's fishermen at threat again -- this time from too much help<\/p>\n
Sebastian Blanc, Agence France-Presse\/Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
Just eight weeks after December's tsunami turned their fleets
\ninto firewood, the fishermen of Indonesia's Aceh province are
\nagain facing a serious threat to their livelihood.<\/p>\n
But this time, it is from the very hand that is supposed to be
\nfeeding them.<\/p>\n
Experts are warning that the type of help being offered by the
\ninternational community and the scale of the pledges risks
\nfundamentally transforming the delicate natural balance in the
\nlocal marine ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Already the first boats have been offered, without local
\nconsultation or preliminary studies and experts are warning that
\nmistakes are being made.<\/p>\n
Oman donated 50 fibreglass boats with petrol engines, while
\nthe fishermen here are used to dealing with wooden vessels and
\ndiesel engines.<\/p>\n
For the thousands of people who used to depend on the sea to
\nfeed their families, the Dec. 26 tsunami robbed them not only of
\na living but the means to feed their families.<\/p>\n
\"They can't repair these boats, which will end up being too
\nexpensive for them,\" says Jean-Jacques Franc de Ferriere, Food
\nand Agriculture Organization coordinator for Aceh.<\/p>\n
Some aid groups here have even said such vessels could be
\ndangerous, fearing they are not heavy enough to cope with the
\nIndian Ocean's swell.<\/p>\n
\"The fishermen have clearly said they want to get back to
\ntheir own type of boat,\" says Serge di Palma, mission head of the
\nnon-governmental group Triangle, which is trying to use local
\nskills and materials to help the local fishermen rebuild their
\nfleets.<\/p>\n
The traditional local boats are simple and cost around
\nUS$1,300, according to Triangle. Around eight meters long and
\ncrewed by two men, they are made of two or three types of wood
\nand use a Chinese-made inboard motor.<\/p>\n
The tsunami destroyed an estimated 70 percent of such boats in
\nAceh, either sinking them, smashing them to pieces or beaching
\nthem hundreds of meters inland.<\/p>\n
\"You can't just turn the whole socioeconomic structure upside
\ndown,\" says Ferriere, warning that trying to impose ideas from
\noutside risks doing long-term damage.<\/p>\n
Some in the West have suggested giving Indonesia run-down
\nEuropean fishing boats -- something that alarms di Palma.<\/p>\n
Such a gesture, albeit well-intentioned, risks producing the
\npotential for overfishing and upsetting the delicate equilibrium
\nof the fish stocks -- in short, of \"bringing the problem they
\nhave in Europe over here.\"<\/p>\n
The Acehnese don't use large nets, he explains, adding that
\nEuropean trawlers do not meet the needs of the local fishermen.<\/p>\n
Such needs are being assessed by agencies and foreign groups
\nhere in minute detail. The Food and Agriculture Organization
\nrecently published the results of a study for the less-devastated
\neast coast of the province.<\/p>\n
The survey makes for some shocking reading, suggesting that
\n6,611 fishermen were either killed or are missing, presumed dead,
\nand 5,224 boats and 5,124 engines destroyed.<\/p>\n
The west coast was even more badly affected and the full scale
\nof the destruction has yet to be assessed. But, if only because
\nso many fishermen were killed, it will not be necessary to
\nreplace all the boats lost.<\/p>\n
One step not to be underestimated is encouraging the fishermen
\nto regain sufficient confidence to put out to sea once again.<\/p>\n
Many of them have been living in the hills and say they intend
\nto stay there. Experts have said the fishermen feel they can no
\nlonger rely on their boats, which now sit washed up far from the
\nwater's edge.<\/p>\n
seb\/jah\/th
\nAsia-quake-Indonesia-fishing
\nAFP<\/p>\n
GetAFP 2.10 -- FEB 21, 2005 10:47:46<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehs-fishermen-at-threat-again-this-time-from-too-much-help-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }