Thousand Islands' fishermen form union
Thousand Islands' fishermen form union
By Berni K. Moestafa
JAKARTA (JP): After years of fighting against unfair
competition brought on by illegal trawling, traditional fishermen
in the Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) marine resort area
eventually agreed to establish a union to help voice their
rights.
Representatives of the fishermen established on Sunday the
first ever fishermen's union at the conclusion of a three-day
congress in Panggang Island, one of the 106 islands in the chain
off the shore of North Jakarta on Sunday.
Husen Syamsudin, one of the fishermen, told some 65
participants of the congress that they had long suffered from a
loss in income due to trawlers depleting the fish supply in their
area.
"We have problems competing with illegal trawlers operating in
the Thousand Islands area.
"We repeatedly complained to city administration and police
about continuing illegal trawling, but our protests have gone
unanswered," he said.
He said the fishermen had even caught illegal trawlers a few
times and handed them over to police for legal prosecution. "But
no substantial measures were ever taken against them (the
trawlers)."
He said the fishermen had also had difficulties in marketing
their fish due to minimum access to information.
"I hope that with a fishermen's union, we can survive such
unfair business rivalry," he said.
The idea of establishing the union was presented by prominent
environmentalist Emil Salim at the opening of the congress.
"Only through a strong union can the local fishing community
solve their problems," Emil, who is a former minister of
environment, said while addressing the opening of the congress on
Friday.
Concern
The congress was organized by the Thousand Islands Consortium,
a group of several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and
foundations concerned with the fishermen's social welfare of the
local community.
Participating at the congress were representatives of other
foundations and NGOs, including the Kehati environmental
foundation, the Open University's (UT) Institute for Community
Dedication, the Bogor Institute of Agriculture's Fisheries Diving
Club, Bina Desa foundation, the Indonesian Green Club, Mayang
group of environmentalists and outdoor sports magazine Jelajah.
Emil, also a chairman of Kehati, said traditional fishermen in
the Thousand Islands had faced unfair competition from fisherman
using modern equipment making it difficult for them to prosper.
He said that with the union the fishermen would have a
stronger voice in addressing their problems and seeking a
solution.
"The union will bring the fishermen into a network that will
help them solve their problems," he said.
Anton Soedjarwo, a member of Kehati, said a union would help
the fishermen settle problems like finding uses for fish parts
which are unfit for human consumption.
"The union, with its network, will provide information on how
to change waste products into marketable commodities," he said.
Ruddy Gustave, an activist from the Antitrawl Fishermen
Movement (GRANAT), said the union would be effective in fighting
against illegal trawling.
"Only if they (traditional fishermen) work together can
illegal trawling be eliminated, " he said.
Lilik Sulistyowati of the Open University's (UT) Institute for
Community Dedication said, however, that growing tourism in the
region should be in harmony with the development of local culture
and the ecosystem.
"All construction projects for the development of the region
should not neglect the local cultural content and the capacity of
the ecosystem.
"There shouldn't be any big hotels, but only one-story
cottages here," she said.
The congress also elected Abdullah Feri as head of the newly
established union, which was named the Thousand Island Fishers
Union (SNKS).