Author: Imaniar Pratiwi (IPB)

Today (3/11), the Land Team finally went ashore and visited Ustutun Village on Liran Island, the village used as the first observation location for social and fisheries surveys in the Southwest Maluku Rapid Survey.

When we arrived, the team and I immediately visited the house of the Ustutun Village Head (Kades) to request permission to conduct surveys related to social and fisheries aspects to local residents. The village head, who is also considered the king of the region, welcomed us warmly. They openly shared the history of the village and the condition of Ustutun Village, which feels neglected by the Indonesian Government. You could say that with our arrival, this village seemed to find a glimmer of hope for a solution to all the problems they were facing. In fact, it is sad to know that almost all of the village's daily needs depend on Timor Leste. In fact, the fish caught by the fishermen of Ustutun Village are sold to the neighboring country because in addition to the absence of a Fish Auction Place (TPI) on both Liran Island and Wetar Island, the distance they have to travel to the TPI in the nearest locations is quite far so they have to pay additional transportation costs. Meanwhile, the distance from Ustutun Village to Timor Leste is only 2-3 hours by fast boat.

TPI is an important place for fishermen to sell their catches. In addition to data collection and maintaining market price balance to avoid monopoly from certain parties, a functional TPI also provides cold storage (cool storage) so that the fishermen's catch can be kept fresh and does not reduce the selling price.

After chatting for a while, the village head gathered the local fishermen and fishmongers at the Ustutun Village Hall to facilitate our survey. A while after that, the village head invited me to see what fishing gear the fishermen use to catch fish. Without hesitation, I immediately agreed and said to the village head, "Well coincidentally, documenting fishing gear is one of my tasks today." We immediately rushed to the beach. After that, the village head showed us a church building that was built independently by Ustutun villagers. This church has a fairly large building, considering that 70% of the population of Ustutun Village are Protestant Christians.

After walking around, without realizing it, I was already in front of a house and the village head then invited me to go inside to meet with the principal of the Fisheries Vocational School in Ustutuan Village. Seeing the number of researchers who came from various fields and institutions, the village head wanted to invite the entire Land Team to give a presentation and motivate the vocational school students who were 'borrowing' the elementary school building regarding conservation and fisheries issues. I then called the entire Land Team to immediately join, introduced myself, and explained the purpose and objectives of this survey.

By the time I finished speaking in front of the SMK students, it was getting late in the afternoon and the tide was rising. We decided to part ways with the villagers and return to the boat. Just like the residents of Ustutun Village, I also hope that the research and survey results obtained during this expedition can provide recommendations for the Government of Indonesia, provinces and districts in the realization of the development of villages at the edge of the country's borders.