West Sumatra fishermen fighting for livelihood
Kasparman Piliang, The Jakarta Post, Padang, West Sumatra
The fate of thousands of fishermen in West Sumatra looks increasingly gloomy as their livelihood has been threatened, especially by the presence of Thai fishermen accused of poaching in the area.
This situation has been aggravated by the illegal importation of fish at sea in transactions that are not taxed, a move that has inflicted losses on the local administration.
Should the situation not immediately be addressed, fishermen along the coast of West Sumatra could be at risk of starvation.
Complaints such as these came from fishermen from Painan in South Pesisir regency, West Sumatra.
More than 5,000 fishermen living along eight estuaries there -- Tarusan, Painan, Teluk Batung, Batang Kapas, Surantih, Lakitan, Pungasan and Air Haji -- have been unable to set sail for work.
Just to survive, they had to sell their boats, which they had previously relied on for fishing.
Last August, thousands of fishermen in Air Bangis and Sungai Beremas subdistrict, Pasaman regency, also expressed similar grievances as their catch was dwindling.
People living in the western part of West Sumatra were threatened with loss of their jobs.
During the last five years in Pasaman regency alone, 40 foreign vessels have been detained, with some set ablaze by local angry fishermen.
Of some 12,500 residents in Air Bangis, 75 percent, or around 10,000 people, depend for their livelihood on fishing.
Rusli, a fisherman from South Pesisir, said on Monday in the provincial capital, Padang, that local villagers had experienced a decline in their income for five years.
Previously, with an overhead cost of Rp 75,000 (US$9.00) for one trip to sea, local fishermen who sailed for around one-and-a- half hours from the beach could catch two tons to three tons of fish.
"Now, even after we have forked out Rp 250,000, we can only catch 200 kilograms (kg) to 250 kg of fish," Rusli said.
In one month, or 24 trips to sea, with overheads of Rp 6 million, they could only earn Rp 1.5 million.
As a result, a number of fishermen were forced to sell their boats. Some even had to sell all their boats.
Chairman of the West Sumatra Community Support Forum for Fishermen Eri Rai Moncak urged the government to pay serious attention to the fate of the local villagers.
"The problem should be solved immediately, otherwise their fate will be dire," he said.
He said the main step to be taken by the government to save the fishermen was to stop the illegal importation of fish at sea.
Apart from that, the government should help reeducate the fishermen as many still used traditional methods instead of modern fishing equipment, Eri added.
"Perhaps upgrading fishing methods by providing them with more up-to-date engines would lessen their troubles," he said.
He warned that if the problem were not given serious attention by the government, the fishermen could die of starvation in two year's time.