MOHAMAD FINAL DAENG, MOHAMMAD HILMI FAIQ, INGKI RINALDI
·6 minutes read
Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro
An aerial view of the coastal waters off Bungaiya village in Selayar Islands regency, South Sulawesi, shows a sero fishing fence extending in a line out to sea on Wednesday (25/10). The sero funnels fish and traps them, making it easier for fishermen to harvest fish directly, and is commonly used by the people of Selayar.
The sun had just risen on a Wednesday in late October in Bungaiya Village of Bontomatene subdistrict, Selayar Islands, South Sulawesi, when Patta, 65, climbed atop what looked to be a pile of katonde or bitti wood. At first glance, the structure looked like a cone or a pine tree.
The giant structure is a static fish fence called sero, also known as kelong in Kalimantan and belat in Jambi. The sero extends about 100 meters into the sea. The fish fence, which consists of thousands of wooden pillars that stand at a height of 3 meters from the seabed, is on the "land" that Patt rents for Rp 1 million a year from landowner Patajali, 55.
Slowly, Patta descended to the end of the sero where the fish were trapped after the tides. He threw a spear and hit a sorong (cuttlefish), which he then placed on the top of the sero. That morning, the fish fence had also trapped baronang, katamba and cendro fishes.
With financial support from his children, a policeman and a civil servant, he built the sero.
Patta has fished using the sero for almost 10 years with a capital of Rp 15 million. Before that, he had dived for sea cucumbers and pearls for 20 years, using an air tank similar to that used by tire repairmen. He frequently dived to a depth of 50 meters with safety equipment.
With financial support from his children, a policeman and a civil servant, he built the sero. He installed bout 100 lengths of coconut wood in the sea near Tanete village, not far from Bungaiya. During the December-March western season, when the weather is bad and not many fishermen go out to sea, he can earn up to Rp 30 million.
However, this could be called a “residue” of the glory days. Dahaasi, 64, who owns two plots of land for keeping 64 sero units in Bungaiya Village, said that during the heydays, so many fishes entered the traps that the fishermen spent at least three days harvesting the fish. That was before bombs and cyanide were used rampantly to fish in 1980-1990.
Dahaasi, who also owns a sero, was able to send his two children to a Selayar college and the Bogor Agricultural Unversity (IPB). After his children finished their studies, he rented out his land for storing sero.
Kompas/INGKI RINALDI
Young blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) swim in the coastal waters of Tinabo Besar Island on Monday (23/10) in Takabonerate National Park, Selayar Islands regency, South Sulawesi. Takabonerate National Park is the third biggest coral atoll in the world.
Marine conservation
Ali Yansyah Abdurrahim, a researcher at the Population Research Center of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the sero played an important role in coral reef conservation. Between two sero, an area 72 meters wide should remain untouched and free of any activities. The area serves as a kind fish bank that guaranteed a supply of fish for trapping in the sero. On the other hand, criticisms abound that sero is environmentally damaging,because it occupies a reef area.
During a recent dive between two seros in Bungaiya village, we saw within 5 meters a school of fish among the coral. Such potential for a large fish catch had attracted fishermen from other villages to fish in the area between the two sero in Bungaiya village, which caused conflict. The fishermen from the Bungaiya and West Lambongan villages agreed to settle the conflict during a meeting on Oct. 28, 2016in Bontomatene subdistrict.
The agreement led to the local village administration issuing Circular No. 410/75/II/2017/Diskaper on marine space management and the use of the sero and other fishing equipment, such as fishing rods and spears. Bungaiya village is now drafting a regulation on the management of coastal areas that is based on customary wisdom to implement its marine protection (DPL) ruling.
A similar ruling has been issued by the Parak village administration, which is part of the Selayar Islands district. The ruling was issued to implement Regulation No. 8/2010 on coral reef management. The regulation was issued by the Selayar islands regent following the enactment of Regulation No. 23/2014 on Regional Government, which reduced the maritime authority of the regency administration.
Kompas/HERU SRI KUMORO
An aerial view of the coastal waters off Bungaiya village in Selayar Islands regency, South Sulawesi, shows a sero fishing fence extending in a line out to sea on Wednesday (25/10). The sero funnels fish and traps them, making it easier for fishermen to harvest fish directly, and is commonly used by the people of Selayar.
Conservation activities
"Selayar has long been known for its conservation efforts," said Andi Penrang, a local marine conservation pioneer and senior official of the fish breeding center at the Selayar Islands marine and fisheries office.
In addition to the sero, there is also ongko, a secret fishing area among a local fishermen group. The group, which consists of five people, uses a joloro boat to fish. Today, the ongko had almost disappeared because of the rampant use of cyanide and fish bombing in the 1980s, said Andi, who was active in the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program in 2005 and is now involved in the Capturing Coral Reef & Related Ecosystem Services (CCRES).
However, said Ali, it was the issuance of Government Regulation No. 5/1979 on village administration that changed the structure and nomenclature of the village administration and eliminated local customs, such as the ongko. The ongko was later accommodated in the DPL, reviving a number of related activities.
For example, the ilasa culinary dish, which uses fish caught in the ongko, has been reintroduced to local residents and visitors. Ilasa is a unique local cuisine that uses seawater as an ingredient. The positive impace is that the residents keep the waters clean, and uncontaminated by garbage and other pollutants.
Although Selayar is rich in local customs, the coral reef continues to be damaged. This is seen in a study on the conditions of coral reefs and related ecosystems in the Selayar Islands that LIPI, Hasanuddin University and Coremap CTI carried out in 2016.
The 2016 study focused on the coral reefs near Kota Selayar, Bungaiya village, Bonelohe village, Panaikang village, Guang Island, Jampea Island, and Tambolongan Island.
Kompas/HERU SRI KUMORO
Young blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) swim in the coastal waters of Tinabo Besar Island on Monday (23/10) in Takabonerate National Park, Selayar Islands regency, South Sulawesi. Takabonerate National Park is the third biggest coral atoll in the world.
According the study, the coral reef condition was "bad" to "medium", with 16.01-46.87 percent of live coral cover. A decline in the live coral cover also occurred in 2015-2016, when it fell from 29.76 percent to 29.46 percent, with the dead coral component increasing from 27.33 percent to 39.20 percent.
The coral reef condition within the Takabonerate National Park follows a similar trend. Fahmi Achmad, a Takabonerate park official, said that fish bombing still continued, although it was done in secret.
During a dive in the waters of Tinabo Island, Kompas found partial damage in the form of broken dead coral. However, conservation and other efforts that involve local residents in coral reef transplantation are ongoing.
We can now see several blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) young arrive as soon as we throw bait into the coastal waters of Tinabo Besar. The sight of dozens of sharks is a positive sign of hope for a better future for the Selayar Sea.
