Turtle traders forced to turn to new pursuits<\/p>\n
Pariama Hutasoit, Contributor, Jembrana, West Bali<\/p>\n
It was almost an anathema for the fishermen in the Balinese
\ncoastal areas around Perancak village in Jembrana, West Bali, and
\nSerangan island, off Denpasar, to even consider abandoning their
\nbeloved sea.<\/p>\n
The waves, the breeze and the salt water are all in their
\nblood. Fishing is a centuries-old occupation in these parts, and
\nhas been handed down from generation to generation: their
\nparents, grandparents, great-grandparents, all the way back,
\ntheir forebears were well-known and courageous fisherfolk.<\/p>\n
These lives of these people have long been intimately
\nintertwined with those of the marine creatures living in Balinese
\nwaters. They catch various types of turtle -- many of them
\nprotected and endangered species, including the green turtle,
\nOlive Ridley turtle, hawksbill turtle and giant leatherback
\nturtle.<\/p>\n
The fishermen living in these two areas are well-known as
\nturtle traders. Turtles have been widely traded and consumed in
\nBali since time out of mind. The turtles were usually cooked for
\nfood and were also used for offerings during important Hindu
\nreligious ceremonies.<\/p>\n
However, as the number of turtles in Balinese waters sharply
\ndeclined over the last few years and the animals were declared
\nendangered and protected by law, local fishermen have found it
\nincreasingly hard to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
Ecosafe and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)'s Indonesia
\nWallacea Bioregion Program, both of which promote the protection
\nof turtles and marine biodiversity, are providing special
\ntraining for these fishermen so that they may benefit from
\nalternative sources of income.<\/p>\n
Lida Pet-Soede, director of Ecosafe's Asia Program, said the
\ntraining would give the fishermen the skills to produce various
\nkinds of woodcarving. It is proving difficult, however, to shift
\nthe attention of the fishermen from the sea to the arts.<\/p>\n
"Some of them have been willing enough to try making
\nhandicrafts and woodcarvings," he said.<\/p>\n
The initial three-month long training course was participated
\nin by five fishermen, I Made Riata, I Made Susila, I Nyoman
\nGunarta, I Wayan Joy and I Wayan Miyasa. They were under the
\ntutorship of seasoned sculptor I Wayan Kacer from the art village
\nof Blahbatu in Gianyar.<\/p>\n
"We really want to be successful artists. That's the reason
\nwhy I wanted to take part in the course," Made Riata said. At
\nfirst, however, he found it extremely difficult to carve a toy
\nturtle out of a piece of wood.<\/p>\n
"But, I was so enthusiastic. Besides, I am very familiar with
\nthe shape of turtles," said Made Riata, who usually sells Satay
\nPenyu, barbecued turtle meat, and gets Rp 50,000 (around US$5)
\nper day for his trouble.<\/p>\n
Gusti Ngurah Mahardika from the WWF said that carving was only
\none of a number of alternative sources of income through which
\nthe fishermen could survive.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nyoman Gunarta, the son of a turtle hunter from
\nPerancak village, said he participated in the training course so
\nas to motivate his village friends to find alternative
\nemployment.<\/p>\n
"We know that life now is hard for us as we can no longer
\ncatch and sell turtle meat. If we gain other skills like carving,
\nwe will be able to survive," Nyoman said.<\/p>\n
Made Riata and Nyoman are both happy with their new skills.<\/p>\n
"The handicraft and woodcarving business has actually got
\nquite good prospects," he said.<\/p>\n
In March, their work was exhibited in Ecosafe's offices in
\nSanur, some eight kilometers east of Denpasar. Among the items
\ndisplayed were clothes hangers, photo frames, card holders,
\npuzzles and turtle representations. The five fishermen created
\nall of these products on display.<\/p>\n
Herlina Rotinsulu, a handicrafts exporter, said the quality of
\nthe displayed products was adequate but they would have to be
\nable to improve the designs and finishing touches.<\/p>\n
"The designs must be innovative. Besides, to break into the
\ninternational market, exported goods must be certified as 'green
\nproducts'," Herlina explained.<\/p>\n
International markets like France and Germany could easily
\nabsorb all exported handicrafts, provided they had a green
\nproduct label, she said. Moreover, the profits gained from the
\nsale of these items would be used to fund various conservation
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
Ecosafe is currently searching for markets in which to sell
\nthe fishermen's products. "For the time being, our main markets
\nare the international conservation agencies like the WWF and
\nGreenpeace," Pet-Soede said.<\/p>\n
Pet-Soede admitted that the sale of the products to
\nenvironmental organizations alone would not be adequate.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, we are also thinking about selling these items on
\nthe mainstream market through businesses and hotels, especially
\nthose which care about protecting the environment," Pet-Soede
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Pet-Soede said that all the products made by these fishermen
\ncomplied with international standards. For wood products, for
\ninstance, they had followed all the standards set by Smartwood
\nand the Forestry Stewardship Council. Meanwhile, all marine
\nproducts had complied with the standards set by the Marine
\nStewardship Council and the Marine Aquarium Council.<\/p>\n
The training course represents a preliminary effort to help
\nturtle fishermen find alternative jobs. Follow-up action is badly
\nneeded to help hundreds, and maybe even thousands, of other
\nfishermen, traders and turtle satay vendors who currently rely on
\nturtle meat for their livelihoods.<\/p>\n
If these people could find proper alternative livelihoods,
\nthey would improve their well-being and at the same time, Bali
\nwould be spared losing its precious turtles and other protected
\nmarine species.<\/p>",
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