Many fishermen have to stay for months on traditional fishing platforms in the Bangka Strait in search of a livelihood for their families. The fishing platforms, which are called bagan locally, are the main sources of fish for cities in South Sumatra.
On one of the platforms on Saturday, Suwarno, 34, and his friends Reno, 25, and Badrun, 18, were busy with their own activities. Badrun cooked lunch, Suwarno fished through the holes in the floor of the bagan and Reno arranged the fishing net at the front of the bagan. After some time, a number of tasty dishes were ready to eat, ranging from fried shrimp and anchovy to gerot fish.
All the food was cooked with simple seasoning. They have lived together and shared joy and sorrow on the fishing platform for about three years. Even though they do not have blood relations, they live like a family. Reno and Badrun come from Sungsang village, Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra; while Suwarno is from Karanganyar, Central Java.
"In the village, I did not have any work, so I chose to work here," said Suwarno, who has been away from home for 15 years and working as a platform fisherman in the Bangka Strait.
There are dozens of fishing platforms measuring an average of 50 square meters across the Bangka Strait. At the top of the platform, there is a small room made from wood, while at the bottom, there is a fishing net to catch fish and shrimp.
The fishy smell stung from the catch of the fishermen, which was dried in front of the platform. The fishermen can stay for months on the platform, mostly located quite far from the mainland. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the platform by a motorized boat from a pier in Sungsang Mustritis village in Banyuasin regency, South Sumatra.
Because the location is far away from the mainland, the fishermen get their daily needs from traders who sell food and other basics to a number of platforms in the sea. "Usually when we run out of food, we order from Sungsang village. The next day, a boat will come carrying the food," Suwarno said. As they spend most of their time at sea, fish is their main source of food. "We never get bored of eating fish. It\'s better to eat fish than not eat at all," said Badrun.
They fish from 5 a.m. in the morning until 10 p.m. at night. Their catch reaches an average of 100 kilograms a day. The fish is sorted and boiled using salt water. The boiled fish is then dried under the sun for two days.
Their incomes depend on the catches and seasons. The fishermen on a platform share their incomes from the sales of fish every month. Each can earn between Rp 1.5 million (US$107) to Rp 7 million per month per person.
High waves
Living on the fishing platform is not without threats. High waves and strong winds or being hit by a coal barge are among the threats they have to face. According to Suwarno, the waves sometime reach as high as 2 meters, while the height of the platform is only 3 meters. He said that there was a storm in 2010 that destroyed two fishing platforms in the area.
Fortunately, the fishermen on the platforms survived. The destruction caused a big loss to the fishermen. Herman (35), who owns 17 platforms in the area, said that it cost between Rp 120 million and Rp 150 million to make a platform.
"The biggest cost is for the purchase of nibung wood. A nibung wood beam costs Rp 200,000. Between 200 and 400 wood beams are needed to build a platform, not to mention the board and nipah (a kind of palm) used for walls and the roof," he said. Nibung is a strong wood and water resistant.
The turnover from each platform can reach Rp 500 million per year. About 20 percent of the total earnings go to the platform owner, 50 percent to the fishermen and the is rest for the cost of living for the fishermen.
With all the safety risks and losses the fishermen may have to encounter while staying on the platform due to bad weather, they should be appreciated for their hard work in fulfilling the nutrition need of the big cities in Sumatra, including the city of Palembang.
The local government also supports the local fishermen by building a port in Tanjung Api-api near the Sungsang village. In his remarks during the inauguration of the port in March, this year, the governor of South Sumatra province, Herman Deru, said the port was built to support the activities of local residents including fishermen in Sungsang.