Napoleon fish, the darling of Anambas fisherfolk

Apart from its beautiful ocean panoramas, the Anambas Islands in Riau also offer the bustling activity of fisheries, which have been a major tourist attraction on the islands' for years.

And the Napoleon fish are the star attraction at the fisheries, as well as being much in demand by overseas fish buyers. The Napoleon fish from the islands' fisheries are now being exported to Singapore and Hong Kong.

"Ships from Hong Kong and Singapore frequently drop by here to buy Napoleon fish," said Tian Ken, 43, who lives in the Air Sena fisherman village in Ladan district, Natuna regency.

Tian Ken has his own fish farm. He is also a trader, who purchases fish from some of the smaller fisheries nearby.

Besides the Napoleon fish, Tian Ken and other fish farmers in the area also raise a number of other fish and ocean products, including lobsters, tuna and other large fish.

But the Napoleon is the favorite because of the money these fish bring in.

A kilogram of Napoleon fish sells for about Rp 365,000 to foreign traders, said Ismail, a 38-year-old fish farmer.

"The sales can reach up to hundreds of millions of Singapore dollars per year. Fish farmers can earn net revenues of 20 percent from their total gross sales per year," said Sen Sen, another local in the business.

Most fishermen in the area are not well educated and they prefer to leave the business with offshore buyers to big traders in Tanjungpinang, such as Ahi Santoso.

"We are simple-minded and illiterate. We only know how to raise fish," Tian Ken said.

According to Sen Sen, health concerns are behind the bustling business in Napoleon fish.

"People in Hong Kong believe that the fish can reduce your cholesterol," he said.

For the fish farmers, raising Napoleon fish is not difficult because it is a fairly sturdy fish that rarely falls sick.

The main problem is the weather.

"In the dry season, most of the fish die due to a lack of water," said Sen Sen.

Another minor problem is that the fish require huge amounts of foods.

According to Sen Sen, every 200 kilograms of Napoleon fish requires 10 kilogram of food, consisting of smaller fish and shrimps.

The harvest period for the Napoleon fish is different, depending on the weight of the fish.

"Most traders prefer to purchase Napoleon fish when their weight reaches between 500 grams and 700 grams," said Tian Ken.

-- A'an Suryana