JP/5/D06

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.