Falling for fish skin bags hook, line and sinker

Falling for fish skin bags hook, line and sinker

By R. Agus Bakti

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The ray fish is one of Indonesia's many
marine riches. Apart from its delicious meat, its skin is a
special material that can be made into numerous useful items,
like wallets, bags, belts and key and pager holders.

Like leather, the skin must be tanned before it can be
utilized. But not all parts of the fish, locally known as ikan
pari, can be used. Only the skin of its back, which has spots
like beads, can be used, according to Nuraini Indrati, a lecturer
at the Leather Technology Academy in Yogyakarta.

The tanned skin is durable, flexible, supple and more
importantly it will not be damaged by bacteria.

There are a number of types of ray fish in Indonesian waters:
the Gymmura micoura (pari kampret), the Amphotitius kuhlir (pari
kembang), the Actubatic nari-nari (pari burung), the Dasyattis
sephen (pari ayam) and Trygon sehen (pari kelapa). The pari
kelapa is one of the types whose skin can be tanned.

Local fishermen usually use the skin as sandpaper, while in
Japan the skin is used to make shields.

The tanning process is not much different from the method used
to tan other types of skin. There are three stages to the
process: (1) the preliminary process, or beam-house operation,
involving the process of soaking, liming, deliming, bating and
pickling; (2) the tanning process and (3) the finishing process,
comprising neutralizing, dyeing, oiling and final dyeing.

After tanning, the skin can be used to make bags as well as
wallets. The spots on the surface of the skin make it special,
setting it apart from the leather generally available in the
market. It is distinctive from cow, sheep, reptile and snake
leather.

In the evening, the fish skin resembles a pearl. It shines
when the light strikes it, bringing out the unique designs of the
leather.

The tanned fish skin is equal in beauty to other types of
leather. The surface is hard and the fish scales resemble a the
teeth of a saw.

Another beautiful aspect of the fish skin is the spots on the
skin which resemble pearls. The shapes vary, making each design
unique. It is impossible to add spots to the skin and any attempt
to do so will mar the beauty of the skin.

These pearl-like spots determine the selling price of the
goods made from the skin. The spots are centered on the surface
of the skin, and the more large spots in the center the higher
the value of the final product.

The spots on the skin of these fish which "fly" on the surface
of the sea cannot be designed by people, and it depends on the
fishermen's catch whether the fish have the characteristic spots.

The original color of the skin is grayish white, but other
colors can be added to the skin during the tanning process,
depending only on the tanner. Colors often used are green,
yellow, blue, black and brown. However, no matter the color the
leather remains shiny.

Indrati said that as a lecturer, she felt responsible for
disseminating the technology necessary to popularize the tanning
of ray fish skin. However, she is not involved in the business.

Few people, in fact, are involved in this particular
endeavor. One such person is Budi Laharjo, who has been tanning
ray fish skins for the past two years. He said it was difficult
to sew the fish skin. When making wallets, the part of the
leather to be sewn must be marked beforehand, otherwise the
needle can break during sewing because it can come into contact
with a tough spot.

Budi sells a bag for up to Rp 400,000 and wallets for Rp
75,000 each. He sells his goods in shops in Jakarta, Surabaya and
Yogyakarta.

In developing his business, he consults with the Leather
Agency in Yogyakarta, particularly on matters of standardization.

The raw material is acquired from fishermen on Java's northern
coast. The price differs according to the size of the fish. Some
skins are priced at Rp 15,000 a sheet, others go for as much as
Rp 40,000 a sheet.

Budi says that this business has good prospects. He is
convinced there are many more sources of ray fish in the country,
especially in eastern Indonesia.