Travelling
over very rough roads from their remote coastal communities,
the villagers have driven for hours to learn about new directions
in their fishing industry. Some are fishermen, a few are fisheries
officers sent by the local government, and others have very
little knowledge at all of the industry. All, except one, are
men.
They're building of a new future for Simeulue Island -- a future
where traditional ways of fishing are merging with newer techniques
of fish breeding and farming. A future where a sustainable industry
is nurtured and resources protected for future generations.
The training is part of an Australian Red Cross livelihoods
project that helps rebuild sustainable livelihoods using a community-based
training approach. It targets four areas: fishing, cocoa plantations,
vegetable harvesting and mangrove restoration.
'Fishing has always been important to the people of Simeulue,'
says Melissa Bentivoglio, Australian Red Cross livelihoods aid
worker on Simeulue. 'Over 80% of households rely on it for food
and/or income generation.
'Then along came the tsunami and earthquake which devastated
the industry. The earthquake tilted the whole island. One side
ended up being one and half metres higher than what it was originally.
The coral reefs died, mangroves were destroyed and a large fish
habitat was lost. Fishermen lost their equipment and boats.
Overnight, their livelihood was gone.'
A holistic approach
The project takes a holistic approach where mangroves are replanted
to restore the fish habitat. Training and other technical and
material support are provided to build a sustainable fishing
industry that has real potential to grow. Islanders are also
encouraged to consider other occupations.
'An important part of the training is educating the villagers
about protecting the environment so that future generations
will also have resources for their livelihoods,' says Mr Girsang
-- one of the trainers from the University of Medan. 'Even before
the earthquake the industry was in trouble.
Fishermen from outside Simeulue used to come in and detonate
explosives to catch fish. The waters were becoming overfished
and the coral reefs destroyed.
The villagers were also cutting down the mangroves to use for
firewood or for natural dyes for textiles.'
'What's interesting is that the fishermen didn't make the connection
between the damage to the corals and mangroves, with the low
fish stocks. They thought it was part of some natural order.
That's one of the reasons why this training is so important.
As well as teaching them about fish breeding and farming for
seaweed, mud crabs and grouper, they're also learning about
the environmental conditions necessary for a healthy industry.'
Dawarlian, a fisherman from Gunung Putih, who supports a wife
and two young children, is excited about the potential of the
industry. 'I'm already earning a small income from fishing but
I'm now learning so much about how to breed fish and manage
disease. I started fishing lobster in 1984 but after the earthquake
the stocks dried up because of the damage to the coral reefs.
I realised I'd have to try something else if I wanted to earn
a decent living.'
Achieving gender balance
The only woman attending the training is 47-year-old Rosmaini.
'Before the tsunami my husband was a fisherman but now he works
on construction projects. We have five children and we are still
supporting three of them. I work in the rice fields but I'd
like to try farming seaweed and grouper. With this training
I now have some knowledge and I can get started. It's important
that I earn more money so that I can send my children to school.'
Local leaders are keen to see more women participate in the
industry. The training strongly encourages women to take up
the opportunity to participate if they have the interest and
capacity. Because the income of people in many villages is low
it's often important for both men and women to earn an income.
The Indonesian government and an international organisation
are building a fisheries vocational training centre on Simeulue
that will open by 2008. The government has also publicly signalled
its intention for the island to be an important base for marine
culture.
Now that the training has finished, Australian Red Cross, Indonesian
Red Cross and local Fisheries Department personnel will help
the trainees set up fish farms for seaweed, mudcrab and grouper
in four villages along the coast and materials for floating
ponds and technical support will be provided.
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Dawarlian,
a fisherman from Gunung Putih has started farming fish
to improve his livelihoods. (p16527)
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Simeulue
fishermen are learning new techniques in fish breeding
and farming. (p16526)
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| During
the training, local fishermen learn how to merge traditional
practices with new techniques. (p16528) |
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