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.