The 'bagan' fishermen and the sea
By K. Basrie
LABUAN, West Java (JP): A fisherman wistfully expressed a desire to take his bagan (bamboo fishing platform) to President Soeharto's favorite fishing hole in the Sumur area near Ujung Kulon national park.
Yayat is one of the hundreds of bagan fishermen in Labuan, on the western tip of Java, who dreams of the glorious days when fish would overflow from their bagan.
"Fish are rare creatures in the sea nowadays," he told The Jakarta Post while making repairs to his bagan anchored at Labuan Bay during the full-moon last Sunday.
"Fishing is more like gambling now where only once a year my baskets on the platform are full of fish," said Yayat, a father of four.
According to Abral, a former bagan fisherman, the large number of fishermen are one of the reasons there is a shortage of fish in the Sunda Strait.
"But we have no other way to earn a living," said another fisherman, Karim, 34, who has spent half his life on a bagan.
Moreover, said the father of three, the skills he has are only usable on sea. "I could get sick if I had to work on the land," Karim said.
The Sunda Strait in front of Labuan is a popular site for bagan fishermen owing to the abundance of fish there.
Yayat said the nearby Sumur area was known to be home to many first-class fish. But time has apparently washed away most of the fish from Labuan's waters.
"Nobody knows where they are," Yayat grumbled.
The bagan is just one piece of equipment used by fishermen across the country. In Labuan locals also use boats and nets to catch fish.
In terms of capital, it takes less money to run a bagan.
Operation
Made of bamboo and plastic rope, a new bagan -- normally eight meters long and nine meters wide -- costs between Rp 3 million and 4 million.
"A second-hand one might be sold for Rp 2 million," said Abral.
About 20 plastic drums are secured to the four bamboo sides of the platform to keep it afloat.
A net, which can reach a depth of 15 to 20 meters, is also secured by rope to the sides of the structure, leaving a fairly large gap between the net and the platform so fish can get in.
A small hut is built over a hole on the platform and at least eight kerosene lamps are hung under the hut's roof to attract fish.
Wise owners usually provide extra space on the platform for fishing enthusiasts.
The monthly fishing season for bagan fishermen is divided into two periods.
The first 23 days, bagan are normally anchored out at sea after a two-hour sail from the beach. The second period is the week-long full moon cycle, where fish follow plankton going deep to the bottom to get away from the moonlight and when fishermen take their bagan back to shore for repairs.
"If we fail to carefully check the structures an average wave could break a one-and-a-half-year-old bagan into pieces," said Yayat.
Big waves are common at the end of the year and most bagan fishermen prefer to stay home.
During fishing months, owners and three or four employees go to their bagan at 5 p.m. and return early in the morning with their haul of fish, which they sell at the local market. On average, they pull the net up seven times each night.
Pelele traders sometimes stop by in boats at bagan to buy fresh fish.
"In one fishing season, each of us could earn an average of Rp 200,000," said Yayat. "Once a year, we could earn up to Rp 500,000 per person during the lucky season, which varies from year to year," he said.
They could earn more but they have to pay 20 percent of their earnings to the boatmen who carry them and their fish back and forth to the beach each day.
"If I had enough capital, I'd prefer to buy a boat because the owners always earn more than us," said Yayat. He would need about Rp 10 million to buy a boat.
One boat can normally handle six to eight bagan.
With small monthly earnings, life for many bagan fishermen is tough.
"Life is so hard for bagan fishermen here nowadays but we're like the bagan: just follow the rhythm of the waves," said Yayat, showing he was down to his last cigarette.