Experience a day of crab fishing - when the rivers open!

With the sun starting to set, Pak Jaka reached out for a small bottle floating gently on the river. Backdropped against mangroves shimmering golds, coppers, yellows and greens, he began reeling in a long line of fishing string. 

Pak Jaka has been a fisherman for over 20 years but this is his first time fishing for crabs in Sungai Nibung after the most recent 3-month closures. In the region of Kubu Raya, the villagers, with the help of NGO Planet Indonesia, have set up a temporary closure system to mitigate fish stock depletion as part of a wider conservation mission. 

These temporary closures work by periodically banning fishing and usage of an area during set months to allow the population to restore itself and mature. This is to ensure natural resources can be relied upon for generations to come while also engaging communities in conservation.

The day the rivers opened for fishing again, Pak Jaka rose with the sun to set out 50 crab traps in the river of Nibung. Now, he was reeling in his wired cages one by one, excited for the expectation that this will be a large harvest. 

As he pulls his first cage out of the water, it’s a miss. The second cage, however, hauls a nice big crab out of the water and he’s face breaks out into a smile. Prior to Planet Indonesia’s partnership with the village unrestricted fishing had crushed crab and shrimp populations, getting smaller with each harvest. Pak Jaka says the crabs and income is noticeably better in the regions that practice these temporary fishing closures. This is the third periodic closure implemented in the village of Sungai Nibung.

A week later, we float a few rivers away from Sungai Nibung to catch up with Pak Rusli from Seruat Dua. A beautiful village lined with incredible mangroves and coconut trees, they had initially been cautious of the partnership. However, after hearing of the success from the neighboring village of Sungai Nibung, interest in mid-2019 was sparked.

Therefore, they decided to give it a try. This was the first closure Pak Rusli and his community participated in, but the impact it has had on their livelihoods has already compelled Pak Rusli to label it a successful initiative.

The second village who implemented the Temporary Fishing Closures for the first time this round was Mengkalang Jambu.

However, even just a week within opening, Pak Budiman and Pak Suandi, both lifelong Menkalang village fisherman, said it has cemented their belief in the benefits of sustainable resource management systems.

They also noted while fisher-people were reaping the results from the closure system, the entire community had benefited thanks to the Conservation Cooperative and the services it offered. 

For our partners, fishing has been a life-long livelihood, they depend on crabs, fish and prawns for food and income. It’s an ecosystem they hope their children can similarly depend on.

As the fishing day comes to a close, we go back to the port to measure the crabs and evaluate the haul. For 21 days, data will be collected by the local communities to measure the impact of the closure system. 

On November the 21st, the data will be brought to the main office in Pontianak for further assessment and qualitative analysis will be conducted.   

We’ll catch up with the fisheries team then to give you the update. In the meanwhile, make sure you’re signed up to our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and E-newsletter to stay in the loop. Sampai Jumpa!