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