JP/5/D06

Marine nature lovers strive to preserve Bali's coral reefs

Antara/Denpasar

The severe damage of Bali's coral reefs in recent years has stirred a group of nature lovers to train fishermen in coral reef management. Certificates are awarded for the successful completion of the training as a means of deterring the use of cyanide and bombs by fishermen of ornamental fish.

One hundred and thirty eight fishermen have so far been certified by the group after training part-time for two years.

An executive with the Marine Aquarium Council's (MAC) Indonesian representative Gayatri Reksodihardjo said the fishermen were not only trained in efficient methods to catch fish without damaging the reef, but also in ways to ready the ornamental fish for export.

Gayatri said it had taken years to change the mind-set of the fishermen, although they had known for some time that using explosives in fishing was against the law.

A fisherman who has been in the business for 20 years, I Made Pasek, said the training had been enlightening. He realizes now that while bombing the reefs was a fast way to catch fish, it was destroying his future livelihood.

I Made Pasek is one of the 138 fishermen living in Buleleng regency in northern Bali, which is famous for its ornamental fish industry. The fishermen now supply ornamental fish to at least 40 ornamental fish exporting companies operating on the resort island.

According to data from the Bali Industry and Trade Office, revenue attained from the ornamental fish trade in 2001 reached US$4 million, or an increase of 37.2 percent compared to the previous year of only $2.9 million. However, exports later dropped as a consequence of global political conditions. Fish exports from Bali dropped to $2.8 million, or 62 percent in 2002, and declined further to $2.3 million in 2003.

As the global economy improved, shipments of reef fish from Bali climbed slowly to $3.1 million in 2004, while the figure until September 2005, only reached $1.8 million from the sale of one million fish. Buyers of the hundreds of varieties of fish are generally from Asian countries, like Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, apart from a few countries in the European community.