Fresh fish in city? Dream on, they're frozen for weeks<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
If you are a big fan of sushi or sashimi, or have a taste for
\nseafood and live in Jakarta, you will need to make a real effort
\nto enjoy the best.<\/p>\n
For the best seafood, especially sushi and sashimi (both made
\nfrom raw fish), sea produce that is fresh from the sea is an
\nabsolute necessity. Most Jakartans think it is easy to find fresh
\nsea produce because Jakarta is a coastal city.<\/p>\n
The truth is it is not easy to find.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, home to at least 8.3 million people, received 48.82
\nmillion kilograms of fish in 2001. Sea produce comes from various
\nsources, mainly the Muara Angke, Muara Baru, Kamal Muara and
\nSunda Kelapa fish markets, all in North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Sunda Kelapa, which used to be the central fish market in the
\ncity until the late 1960s, receives sea produce that is
\ntransported overland from outside Jakarta. The other three
\nmarkets receive their supplies from fishermen who use motor
\nvessels or boats with outboard engines.<\/p>\n
Although most of the catch in these three markets comes
\ndirectly from the fishermen, it has already been frozen inside
\nthe ships' freezers for days, or even weeks.<\/p>\n
Koma -- a shipowner from Serang, Banten, who has been in the
\nfish business in Jakarta since the 1960s -- said his motor vessel
\nhad just berthed in Muara Baru after being at sea for 32 days.<\/p>\n
\"We even had to spend Idul Fitri at sea,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The motor vessel, named Marcelina, has a crew of 10, and
\ncatches mackerel and tuna using large casting nets in the deep
\nsea.<\/p>\n
That morning, they had just sailed as far as the waters off
\nKalimantan, catching four tons of fish that were ready for
\nauction at the Muara Baru fish market.<\/p>\n
According to Koma, the average cost of a round-trip sailing
\nfor one ship is Rp 20 million (about US$2,250). The cost is made
\nup of automotive diesel, which can amount to as much as 6,000
\nliters, hundreds of ice blocks for preserving the catch and other
\noperational needs.<\/p>\n
Due to the relatively high cost and the kinds of fish caught,
\nwhich are found only in the deep sea, they cannot sail for only a
\nday or two, but require at least 30 days at sea.<\/p>\n
Aside from the fishermen who go to sea to catch fish, there
\nare also middlemen who buy sea produce from fishermen on islands
\nsuch as Bangka and then sail to Muara Angke to sell it. The
\nproduce involved includes squid and fish such as pari (rayfish),
\ncucut (hammerhead shark), other types of shark and ekor kuning
\n(yellowtail).<\/p>\n
Of course, there is also sea produce from boats that go to sea
\nat night and return in the morning. But because the boats are
\nsmaller than the ships, they cannot go very far.<\/p>\n
Moreover, according to Na'an, a member of the production staff
\nat the Jakarta Fisheries Agency, most of the boats are not
\nequipped for catching large fish.<\/p>\n
For example, Agus and his friends, fishermen from Indramayu,
\nWest Java, catch fish every afternoon using a boat. That morning,
\nthey were just back from Damar Island waters, Seribu Islands, 20
\nkilometers away from the Muara Angke shore, bringing with them a
\ncatch of 15 kilograms of teri nasi (a fish that is only a little
\nbigger than a rice grain).<\/p>\n
Knowing that fish in the markets are frozen instead of fresh,
\nhow can you satisfy your sophisticated needs?<\/p>\n
You can always dine out in one of the high-end restaurants in
\nJakarta. Most such eateries use fresh fish rather than the frozen
\nvariety.<\/p>\n
For example, Asuka, a Japanese restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel
\nin South Jakarta, serves sushi and sashimi, made of live fish
\nimported from Japan. But, of course, everything comes at a price.<\/p>\n
Mellani Solagratia, a public relations officer for the hotel,
\nsaid that the price of two pieces of sushi ranged between Rp
\n25,000 (about US$2.8) and Rp 90,000, while a set of seafood
\nteppanyaki cost Rp 225,000 for one person.<\/p>\n
Compare the price of the teppanyaki set to prices of between
\nRp 10,000 and Rp 20,000 for grilled fish (frozen), rice and a
\nbeverage for one person in the food stalls at Muara Angke fish
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
But if you prefer grilled fresh fish, you should go to sea
\nfishing yourself or pay someone to do that for you. Or you can go
\nto the Muara Angke fish market and ask for real fresh fish. If
\nyou are lucky, there may be some fishermen who happen to just
\nhave caught a few kilograms of fresh kerapu (grouper).<\/p>\n
But does the fact that fresh sea produce is difficult to find
\nin Jakarta make us stop eating it? Not necessarily so.<\/p>\n
Many Jakartans have eaten seafood dishes from frozen sea
\nproduce all their lives. So far, we rarely hear anyone
\ncomplaining.<\/p>\n
As long as the fish still have red gills, they are still
\nedible and delicious. And they are also still rich in protein,
\nalthough not so much as the fresh ones.<\/p>\n
Tina, the owner of a travel agency, who frequents the Muara
\nAngke fish market, said she still liked to buy fish at the market
\neven though they were not as fresh as she previously thought.<\/p>\n
\"They taste delicious, anyway. And, of course, they are
\ncheaper than the fish in other markets,\" she said.<\/p>\n
It seems that she is right. The sea produce in the fish
\nmarkets may not be as fresh as you think. But in this
\nmetropolitan city, it is as fresh as it can be.<\/p>",
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