Shrimp Farm Dispute on West Java's Northern Coast

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Karsam’s lips began to mutter silently. His hands moved quickly as he counted the rupiah he had just pulled from the sling bag across his chest. Every so often, the 53-year-old man directed his workers as they sorted banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis), speckled prawns (Metapenaeus monoceros), and tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon). Prawn less than 10 centimeters long were separated from those measuring more than 15 centimeters.

That Monday morning, August 24, 2026, Karsam’s front porch in Segarjaya village, Batujaya subdistrict, Karawang Regency, West Java, was already crowded with shrimp farmers looking to sell their harvests. Some arrived carrying 5 kilograms of shrimp. Others brought as much as 15 kilograms. Karsam bought the shrimp at prices ranging from Rp30,000 to Rp100,000 (about US$1.69 to US$5.62) per kilogram, depending on the species and size. “Every day, at least 70 kilograms are transported to Cilincing Market in North Jakarta,” Karsam said.

Besides being a collector, Karsam is also a shrimp farmer. His roughly 7 hectares of ponds are now stocked with shrimp and milkfish. At each harvest, he can get 300 kilograms of shrimp and 1.5 tons of milkfish. The proceeds are more than enough to support his family. “That’s why we’re worried about the pond revitalization plan,” Karsam said. “All of our ponds will be affected,” he added.

The revitalization Karsam referred to is a program to upgrade and reorganize the management of traditional fish and shrimp farms. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has set a target of covering about 78,500 hectares of ponds along the northern coast, or pantura, of Java. In West Java, the revitalization program has been included on the list of nationally strategic projects (PSNs), targeting ponds in the regencies of Bekasi, Karawang, Subang, and Indramayu.