Cakra Dara pulls mussels from their shells for a living<\/p>\n
Text and photos by P.J. Leo<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An early evening stroll in the country's big
\ncities uncovers a seafood lover's paradise of abundant fresh
\nfish, crabs and mussels available in sidewalk stalls.<\/p>\n
Green mussels are a favored delicacy as they are easy to
\nobtain and cheap.<\/p>\n
Cakra Dara, like so many fishermen in Kapuk Muara, Pluit,
\nNorth Jakarta, depends on green mussels for his living. Each day
\nhe collects more than 50 sacks, each weighing 30 kilograms. After
\nshelling, each sack weighs around 4.5 kg. The father of two sells
\nthe mussels for Rp 1,500 per kg at the Muara Angke fish auction.<\/p>\n
Cakra, 37, keeps an offshore green mussel breeding farm. Fifty
\nbamboo poles tied to one another are driven fast into the seabed
\nto form a rectangular fenced enclosure. From afar, the area
\nappears no different than a regular space for breeding fish.<\/p>\n
But while a fish-breeding farm is usually brightly illuminated
\nas the fishermen work deep in the night, no lighting is needed
\nfor green mussels. The mussel breeders are active during the day.
\nA rope is a must, however. Cakra and his fellow green mussel
\nbreeders coil medium length ropes weighing some eight kilograms
\naround the bamboo poles. The ropes provide a comfortable setting
\nfor the mussels to breed.<\/p>\n
\"After seven months, small green mussels sticking to the
\nbamboo poles are ready for collection,\" he said, adding that
\nthese poles must be replaced after four to six harvests.<\/p>\n
At the crack of dawn, Cakra and his younger brother, Darsin,
\njoin several assistants in their two boats. They eat their
\nbreakfast during the hour-long journey.<\/p>\n
They check the condition of the bamboo poles as soon as they
\narrive. They don simple goggles and masks to dive and determine
\nif the mussels are ready for collection. Later, they go to farms
\nof other mussel breeders to buy their yield.<\/p>\n
\"I pay Rp 4,500 a sack for green mussels. Usually I get seven
\nto 10 bags from one breeding farm,\" he said. \"If we need more
\ngreen mussels, we will go to Muara Kamal, Cengkareng, to buy some
\nmore.\"<\/p>\n
He named Muara Kamal and Cilincing, North Jakarta, as the
\nbiggest suppliers of green mussels. He added that other mussel
\nbreeders occasionally visit his enclosure to buy the yield.<\/p>\n
Originally from Indramayu, West Java, Cakra has made fishing
\npart of his life since his childhood. He followed in the
\nfootsteps of his father, a fisherman. In 1995, he migrated to
\nJakarta in search of a better life.<\/p>\n
\"I want to change my life. That's why I came to Jakarta... My
\nearnings are better now than when I was still in my hometown,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He opened the business with the assistance of his wife, Yanti,
\nand Darsin. In addition to owning the two boats, he employs 10
\nmen.<\/p>\n
The boats return later in the morning. The sacks are carried
\nto steel drums to be boiled. Cakra pays Rp 450 to each bag hauled
\nfrom the boat to the drum.<\/p>\n
The shells are removed from the boiled green mussels, a task
\nusually done by children and women from the neighborhood. They
\nare paid Rp 1,250 for each bag.<\/p>\n
\"Removing the shells of the green mussels will continue until
\nlater in the afternoon, or even into the night, if there are a
\nlot of green mussels but only a few hands to shell them,\" said
\nCakra.<\/p>\n
A concession is made to consumer tastes. The color of the
\ngreen mussels, originally pale yellow, is rendered a deeper shade
\nof reddish yellow by soaking them in a colorant.<\/p>\n
\"With their original color, they will not sell,\" Cakra said.
\n\"I have to give them some color, which will take 10 to 15
\nminutes, to make them look more reddish yellow.\"<\/p>\n
With their new color intact, the mussels are transported to
\nthe fish and sea produce auction site in Muara Angke, Pluit, in
\nthe evening.<\/p>\n
It has been a long and tiring day, but the journey is never
\ntoo long for a steaming plate of green mussels.<\/p>",
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