West Sumatran fishermen accuse foreign poachers for small catch

Kasparman, The Jakarta Post, Pasaman, West Sumatra

Thousands of traditional fishermen in Pasaman regency, West Sumatra, have begun to complain about the reduced number of fish due to rampant poaching which they blame on foreign fishing vessels in the region.

They say their catch had continued to drop significantly in recent months and urged local security authorities to stop the theft by foreigners, in particular those from Thailand.

If this continues, the local fishermen could lose their livelihood.

"We ask the government to seriously deal with the cases of poaching committed by foreign ships," said Yudi Fentra, one of fishermen in the coastal area of Air Bangis, Sungai Beremas subdistrict.

He said foreign fishermen are often found poaching fish in waters off Air Bangis and that there has been very little done to by security personnel to stop it.

This has happened for a long time, Yudi added.

He said that in the last five years, as many as 40 foreign boats had been nabbed by local villagers. They set fire to many of the seized ships, while others were handed over to local authorities.

This year alone, local fishermen seized at least four foreign ships manned by Thai fishermen after they were blamed for illegal poaching, Yudi claimed.

The local residents later set fire to the confiscated fishing boats and their crew members were taken to the Air Bangis police precinct to be processed in accordance with Indonesian justice, he said.

"However, those arrested have often been released by police without clear explanations, despite the fact they could not even show their passports," he added.

Air Bangis, some 287 kilometers from the West Sumatra capital of Padang, is known as the most abundant source of fish in the province.

Located in a coastal area of around 670 square kilometers, Air Bangis is home to 12,500 people and more than 75 percent of the working population are fishermen.

"Now, their income source is in danger because our sea is looted every day by foreign ships," Sungai Beremas subdistrict head Asgiarman told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He reiterated that the unchecked theft caused lower catches for local fishermen.

Previously, a boat manned by around eight fishermen in Air Bangis could bring home between seven and eight baskets of fish, Asgiarman said.

"It means that each of them could earn between Rp 30,000 and Rp 40,000 a day. But since foreign fishing ships have been illegally entering our territory, their (local fishermen's) catch has significantly declined. They now earn only about Rp 10,000 per day and that is extremely difficult for them."

Such a reduction has forced many of the traditional fisherman to seek other jobs.

Asgiarman said the rampant poaching often involves large trawlers and/or dynamite, which leaves many fish dead.

The high operational cost of motorized fishing boats due to the diesel fuel price hike also has meant a new burden for traditional fishermen in Air Bangis.

Eril Syahrial, chairman of the Pasaman Indonesian Fishermen's Association (HNSI), said the cost of fuel in Air Bangis is quite high due to a lack of gas pumps available in the area.