Turtle traders forced to turn to new pursuits

Turtle traders forced to turn to new pursuits

Pariama Hutasoit, Contributor, Jembrana, West Bali

It was almost an anathema for the fishermen in the Balinese
coastal areas around Perancak village in Jembrana, West Bali, and
Serangan island, off Denpasar, to even consider abandoning their
beloved sea.

The waves, the breeze and the salt water are all in their
blood. Fishing is a centuries-old occupation in these parts, and
has been handed down from generation to generation: their
parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, all the way back,
their forebears were well-known and courageous fisherfolk.

These lives of these people have long been intimately
intertwined with those of the marine creatures living in Balinese
waters. They catch various types of turtle -- many of them
protected and endangered species, including the green turtle,
Olive Ridley turtle, hawksbill turtle and giant leatherback
turtle.

The fishermen living in these two areas are well-known as
turtle traders. Turtles have been widely traded and consumed in
Bali since time out of mind. The turtles were usually cooked for
food and were also used for offerings during important Hindu
religious ceremonies.

However, as the number of turtles in Balinese waters sharply
declined over the last few years and the animals were declared
endangered and protected by law, local fishermen have found it
increasingly hard to make ends meet.

Ecosafe and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)'s Indonesia
Wallacea Bioregion Program, both of which promote the protection
of turtles and marine biodiversity, are providing special
training for these fishermen so that they may benefit from
alternative sources of income.

Lida Pet-Soede, director of Ecosafe's Asia Program, said the
training would give the fishermen the skills to produce various
kinds of woodcarving. It is proving difficult, however, to shift
the attention of the fishermen from the sea to the arts.

"Some of them have been willing enough to try making
handicrafts and woodcarvings," he said.

The initial three-month long training course was participated
in by five fishermen, I Made Riata, I Made Susila, I Nyoman
Gunarta, I Wayan Joy and I Wayan Miyasa. They were under the
tutorship of seasoned sculptor I Wayan Kacer from the art village
of Blahbatu in Gianyar.

"We really want to be successful artists. That's the reason
why I wanted to take part in the course," Made Riata said. At
first, however, he found it extremely difficult to carve a toy
turtle out of a piece of wood.

"But, I was so enthusiastic. Besides, I am very familiar with
the shape of turtles," said Made Riata, who usually sells Satay
Penyu, barbecued turtle meat, and gets Rp 50,000 (around US$5)
per day for his trouble.

Gusti Ngurah Mahardika from the WWF said that carving was only
one of a number of alternative sources of income through which
the fishermen could survive.

Meanwhile, Nyoman Gunarta, the son of a turtle hunter from
Perancak village, said he participated in the training course so
as to motivate his village friends to find alternative
employment.

"We know that life now is hard for us as we can no longer
catch and sell turtle meat. If we gain other skills like carving,
we will be able to survive," Nyoman said.

Made Riata and Nyoman are both happy with their new skills.

"The handicraft and woodcarving business has actually got
quite good prospects," he said.

In March, their work was exhibited in Ecosafe's offices in
Sanur, some eight kilometers east of Denpasar. Among the items
displayed were clothes hangers, photo frames, card holders,
puzzles and turtle representations. The five fishermen created
all of these products on display.

Herlina Rotinsulu, a handicrafts exporter, said the quality of
the displayed products was adequate but they would have to be
able to improve the designs and finishing touches.

"The designs must be innovative. Besides, to break into the
international market, exported goods must be certified as 'green
products'," Herlina explained.

International markets like France and Germany could easily
absorb all exported handicrafts, provided they had a green
product label, she said. Moreover, the profits gained from the
sale of these items would be used to fund various conservation
projects.

Ecosafe is currently searching for markets in which to sell
the fishermen's products. "For the time being, our main markets
are the international conservation agencies like the WWF and
Greenpeace," Pet-Soede said.

Pet-Soede admitted that the sale of the products to
environmental organizations alone would not be adequate.

"Therefore, we are also thinking about selling these items on
the mainstream market through businesses and hotels, especially
those which care about protecting the environment," Pet-Soede
added.

Pet-Soede said that all the products made by these fishermen
complied with international standards. For wood products, for
instance, they had followed all the standards set by Smartwood
and the Forestry Stewardship Council. Meanwhile, all marine
products had complied with the standards set by the Marine
Stewardship Council and the Marine Aquarium Council.

The training course represents a preliminary effort to help
turtle fishermen find alternative jobs. Follow-up action is badly
needed to help hundreds, and maybe even thousands, of other
fishermen, traders and turtle satay vendors who currently rely on
turtle meat for their livelihoods.

If these people could find proper alternative livelihoods,
they would improve their well-being and at the same time, Bali
would be spared losing its precious turtles and other protected
marine species.