Fishermen landlocked by sedimentation

Fishermen landlocked by sedimentation

CIREBON, West Java: The sedimentation of river estuaries in
Cirebon regency was threatening the future of thousands of
fishermen, regency fishery office head Nunung Siti Nurjanah said
on Tuesday.

"Although the sedimentation process has taken place for a long
time the local administration has done nothing," she complained.

Sedimentation blocks access to the sea from rivers and vice
versa.

A fisherman from North Cirebon, Moch. Tabroni, 34, said he
often had to wait up to five hours for high tide to be able to
enter the Bondet River estuary.

Another fisherman, Khusaini, said the delays meant he and
other fishermen had to sell their fish at cheaper prices as it
was no longer fresh.

Of 4,500 boats in the regency, 85 percent belong to
traditional fishermen who can only sail six miles from shore,
triggering overfishing in coastal waters. -- JP