BULELENG FISHERMEN'S PASSION FOR FISHERIES IMPROVEMENT
On Monday, April 6, 2015, Indonesia celebrated its 55th Fishermen's Day as a reminder to the people of Indonesia of the backbone of national maritime sector development. This commemoration also reinforces the spirit and appreciation for fishermen as hosts in Indonesian waters.
"We really want to get a better price for the fish we catch," said Mr. Gede, a traditional fisherman from Pacung Village, Buleleng Regency-Bali Province. Had I not been face-to-face with him, I might have interpreted that sentence sadly. However, he said it with a genuine smile.
Mr. Gede has been a reef fish fisherman for about 10 years and he is just one of thousands of providers of food and nutrition for the community from aquatic biological resources. But his wise figure attracted me to chat with him during the reef fisheries improvement initiation training event. I don't know how many fishermen start their day with a passion to change their quality of life for the better every day. Every morning he prepares his equipment and other needs to go to sea, scavenging for sustenance to make a living.
However, recently Mr. Gede has gained more enthusiasm because his goal at sea is not only to catch fish but to protect the Buleleng Regency maritime area which has the largest length of coastline in Bali.
"Now we have benefited greatly from the cooperation of the Marine and Fisheries and NGOs who are equally passionate about preserving Buleleng's seas," said Pak Gede. In the past, he continued, before the Regional Marine Conservation Area was reserved there were still many fishers who did not pay attention to aspects of sustainability, both in terms of fishermen's knowledge and agreed regulations. However, now the more frequent socialization and capacity building of fishermen groups, the broader our understanding of the concept of sustainable fisheries.
He also actively participated in the training of coral fisheries improvement initiation organized by NGOs in Buleleng. "Hopefully, this reef fish repair initiation is the first step to improve the quality of life of fishermen and open new networks for their groups to communicate with fishermen in the outside network and get a good market," he said. We, the fishermen group, must get rid of group egoism and work hand in hand to realize sustainable fisheries.
Improving fisheries with Jaring-Nusantara
Jaringan Kerja Perikanan Bertanggung Nusantara or better known as JARING-Nusantara was initiated by WWF-Indonesia and 12 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) spread throughout Indonesia. Jaring-Nusantara aims to improve the management of fisheries resources and also strengthen sustainable fisheries business ventures. Reef Check Foundation Indonesia, is one of the NGOs that participated in the formation of Jaring-Nusantara. Accompanying and fostering local fishermen groups, Jaring-Nusantara continues to strive for the improvement of Indonesia's fisheries practices.
At the end of the discussion, Pak Gede hopes that with this program the community as consumers can also participate in sustainable fisheries by caring that the fish they consume are the result of sustainable fisheries. So that this will have a domino effect on other fishermen who still persist with irresponsible fishing activities to be infected, to change their fishing practices to be responsible and sustainable.
So what can we do for our ocean? Let's start caring about eating fish from sustainable fisheries products and rewarding fishermen who protect their environment and catch fish sustainably. Let's support #BuyWhat's Good
Author: Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra (Project Coordinator Reef Check Foundation Indonesia) iherwata@reefcheck.org
Yayasan Reef Check Indonesia is one of the NGOs working with WWF-Indonesia, through JARING-Nusantara, which helps initiate improvements in fisheries practices in the Bali region and beyond.
