West Sumatra fishermen fighting for livelihood
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.
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.