An institutional analysis of sasi laut in Maluku, Indonesia

Attributes of the sasi area

Under marine sasi, the harvest of top shells (Trochus niloticus) and sea cucumbers is regulated
within a specific part of the sea. In the sasi area, different zones are recognized (Figure 10.1).
The stretch called Tinauw, between Wailalone and Hatwan, is the richest fishing area for top
shells. Sandy patches are key sea cucumber areas. A seaward fringe is where a restriction on
the use of gill nets is enforced. These three zones in the sasi area are open and closed at the
same time. The sasi products may be harvested only during the open season, which may be
proclaimed at intervals as short as a few months or as long as three years. In the sasi area
spear fishing, the use of nets, swimming and diving are not allowed during the closed season.
Nevertheless, fishers who are village residents may fish using hook and line.

Sea cucumbers caught include Teripang nanas (green colored sea cucumbers) and Teripang
susu (black and white ones). The latter attain huge sizes and are taken from deep waters (>30
m). In the past, they were harvested by Madurese compressor divers from Java, but are now
collected more and more by local divers.

The top shells sit around 1-5 m deep at low tide, among the corals and rocks. Depending on
the size and abundance of the top shells, sasi can be closed for up to several years. The optimal
closure is three years. In three years, the animal matures and its shell reaches prime condition
(Zerner and Thorburn, forthcoming). The minimum size for harvested top shells in Nolloth is
four fingers (6 cm). After the harvest, the remaining small shells are left to grow.

Biological surveys indicate that Nolloth has better than the average live coral cover compared
to other areas in Saparua (see Section 11.2). During the opening of sasi, spear fishers have
access to the sasi area. Fishers report that the fishing is better in the sasi area than elsewhere.
They believe that the ban on gill netting and destructive gears in the sasi area helps to preserve
the live coral reef and allows the fish to grow. In fact, the sasi areas of Nolloth and Ihamahu
were the only places surveyed by the research team in 1997 where top shells could be found
at all (see Section 11.2). Top shell yields dropped precipitously through the 1980s (Evans et al.
1997). The 1998 harvest of almost 500 kg of top shells from the sasi area reveals that
management under the new village head, who is committed to waiting at least two years
between harvests, is allowing the resource to recover.

10.1.3 Fisheries technology

There are an estimated 400 fishers in Nolloth. Most fishers are involved in the pelagic fishery
in the open sea using their small outrigger boats (perahus), or they work as crew on pole and
line boats. The majority (70%) of fishers in our sample own their own small boats; only a few
(7%) have a motorboat. The fishers in Nolloth mainly use hand lines and nets that are 50-150
m long. Most common is a type of net called giob, which has quarter inch mesh and catches
tuing-tuing (Cypselurus spp.). Also very common are very fine mesh nets called siru and tanggu
(1-2 mm mesh) and komu nets (4.5 cm mesh). Relatively few fishers have other types of nets,
such as lalosi nets (4 cm mesh), lema nets (6 cm mesh), and “sardine” nets. 23% of the fishers in
the sample interviewed did not own any gear. Often they lease, borrow or rent equipment, or
they work on the boats of other fishermen. According to the people, whether a fisher owns
gears and what types reflect a person’s willingness to make an effort. The coast near Nolloth
is wave-exposed and not suitable for lift nets. Therefore, in contrast to the non-sasi villages,
lift nets have a relatively small impact on the local inshore fishery.

Desa Nolloth, Saparua Island 97

<<   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>

More intriguing information