Fishermen in Natuna Struggle to Go to Sea Due to Thick Haze from Forest Fires
Fishermen in Natuna, Riau Islands Province, are also affected by the haze caused by forest and land fires in Kalimantan. Visibility is severely limited, disrupting fishing activities.
The fishermen complain that when they go out to sea to catch fish, the haze already covers the area about three miles towards the waters of Natuna Island. The surrounding area is no longer visible to the naked eye, making ship navigation difficult.
“We are also affected by the haze from the forest and land fires in Kalimantan,” said Zubian Toni, one of the Natuna fishermen, to CNNIndonesia.com on Sunday morning (23/8).
Toni said he relies solely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a guide while sailing. According to him, the haze covering Natuna has lasted for the past week and has not yet cleared.
“It’s been a week now, the haze hasn’t gone away. It’s the calm season, so the smoke isn’t carried away by the wind,” he said.
Another fisherman named Hariadi on Subi Island, Natuna, also admitted to being affected by the haze caused by the forest and land fires in Kalimantan.
He said fishermen who do not have advanced equipment such as GPS and mobile phone applications find it difficult to determine the direction to go out and return from fishing.
This is because guides or markers such as islands and beacons during the day, as well as lighthouse lamps and stars at night, are no longer visible due to the haze. In addition, the visibility of the lighthouse beam can only penetrate up to 0.5 miles, whereas normally it can reach up to 8 nautical miles.
“Of course it is very difficult,” he said.
According to him, fishermen looking for tuna or mackerel rely on the sound of splashing water to guess the location of fish schools. Another clue is the presence of seagulls hunting fish as prey.
“If you find a school of mackerel, but it is blocked by the haze, that is what makes it difficult due to the haze,” he said.
He added that today the haze has begun to diminish because it has been carried away by strong winds. According to him, two to three days ago the conditions were very severe.