Trawl, commonly used by big capital fishing industries, is a threat to sea biodiversity due to its capability as a massive but non-selective fish-catcher. The tool has been proven to interfere with fish breeding as a result of by-catching the small and immature fishes. As a result, the regeneration process is disrupted and causes the number of fish in the fishing area to decrease.
In par with the development of fisheries technology and knowledge, new threat has emerged: fish bomb. This fishing practice is a serious threat to sea biodiversity and fishermen’s livelihood. Its explosive ability destroys coral reefs, which are important habitats and sources of food for various types of fish. With the reduction in the number of healthy coral reefs, fishes lost their food and were harder to find in traditional fishing areas.
Having a tool to catch a large number of fish was once a relief to the communities in fisherman villages Lamatokan, Dikesare and Tapolangun, until they realized the detrimental effect to their marine ecosystem.
Having a tool to catch a large number of fish was once a relief to the communities in fisherman villages Lamatokan, Dikesare and Tapolangun, until they realized the detrimental effect to their marine ecosystem. This situation had troubled fishermen in Lembata Waters, Hadakewa Bay, East Nusa Tenggara, and drove them to seek new fishing areas. However, the operational costs are not commensurate with the results obtained.
Untuk mencegah ancaman yang lebih serius terjadi, Burung Indonesia bekerja bersama Lembaga Pengembangan Masyarakat Desa (BARAKAT) dengan dukungan Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) berupaya mengakhiri praktik perikanan merusak dan mendorong masyarakat adat Lembata di Desa Lamatokan, Desa Dikesar, dan Desa Tapolangun agar dapat mengelola ekosistem laut yang lestari berdasarkan kearifan lokal setempat.
Long before destructing tools were widely used, the communities in three villages have local knowledge about environmentally friendly fishing gears namely floating hut, bubu and nere. These tools target fishes very selectively, save for fish habitats such as corals and mangroves, and are inexpensive to produce.
Sejatinya, jauh sebelum alat-alat merusak marak dipergunakan, masyarakat di ketiga desa telah memiliki pengetahuan lokal mengenai alat tangkap ikan ramah lingkungan seperti rumah apung, bubu, dan nere. Ketiga alat ini sangat selektif terhadap target ikan tangkapan, tidak mengancam keberadaan habitat ikan seperti karang dan mangrove, dan tak membutuhkan modal besar untuk memproduksinya.
Floating Hut
The materials used to build a floating hut are safe for marine biodiversity, such as bamboo, wood, plastic drum, styrofoam, rattan and rope. The hut was meant to be a transit place for immature fishes, which were kept in a net under it. This transit mechanism teaches the indigenous people of Lembata about the importance of catching and consuming suitable fishes so as not to interfere with the fish regeneration process.
The communities are also utilizing the floating huts as recreation facilities. They conduct various activities in the hut, like fishing and awareness about the importance of preserving aquatic areas for the survival of various types of fish and their habitats.
Bubu
Unlike the floating house which functions as a transit place for small fish, bubus are used to catch large fishes. This tool only catches large fish in limited quantities, so it is not classified as an exploitative fishing gear. Smaller fishes can easily swim out of the trap through net-like holes on its wall.
Bubus are made from bamboo which abundantly available in the village. It is also one of the trade commodities at the local level and can be used as a medium for public awareness about the importance of sustainable use of marine resources. Currently, there are around 511 fishing families in the three villages who have used bubu as fishing gear.
Nere
Among the environmentally-friendly fish gears which have long been used by the indigenous people of Lembata, the nere is the most common. Nere is made from palm leaf and built with holes on its wall. Similar to bubu, nere also traps large sized fishes and lets smaller one escape, has no harmful effect to corals, seagrass nor fishes. Nere has been utilized by 511 fishing families in three villages to catch fishes.
Alat yang dibentuk menggunakan daun lontar ini takkan menerangkap ikan-ikan kecil karena memiliki lubang-lubang kecil sebagai jalan keluar mereka. Sementara itu, ikan-ikan besar akan tetap berada di dalam nere. Tentu saja, nere tidak membawa ancaman bagi turumbu karang, padang lamun, ataupun berbagai jenis ikan.
***
The Wallacea Partnership Program is a partnership program implemented by Burung Indonesia with the support of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to increase the capacity and role of civil society organizations in conserving biodiversity in the biogeographical area of Wallacea.