restricted access to the sasi area through seasonal closures. Every three months, the sasi area
would be open for three weeks during which all (non-destructive) fishing techniques were
allowed. Once open, there were no regulations to limit the harvest of specific fish species
(Albert Matulessy, pers. comm.).
13.4.3 Formal fisheries regulations
Aside from the prohibition to fish with destructive fishing methods (i.e., bombs and poisons),
there are limitations on the mesh sizes being used (minimum mesh size >1.5 mm). In order to
protect the shoreline, the harvesting of sand, stones and corals (except for small corals) is
prohibited. However, no enforcement agent is present to enforce these rules. At all times, a
permit can be obtained from the village government, which allows the harvest of marine
products outside the shallow waters. There is no restriction on the use of lift nets, but owners
have to register at the village office.
13.4.4 The players
The fishery in Hulaliu is dominated by artisanal fishers who have access to all the fishing
grounds except those reserved for outside fishers. Management consists primarily of the
levying of access fees by the village government. The village head is the key player when it
comes to implementing fisheries regulations and the revitalization of sasi. The church is
exclusively involved in sasi on coconuts. There are formal fisheries regulations, but these are
not actively enforced. There is no local enforcement agent and the police personnel are not
direct players in resource management.
Traditional authorities, such as the head of the kewang, play no active role in fisheries
management, but are the keepers of the traditional local knowledge on sasi which is passed
from father to son. Until sasi is revitalized, it is important to keep this knowledge because it
will be the base for the structure of the new sasi system.
13.4.5 Enforcement
During the heyday of sasi, the rules were enforced by two kewang heads assisted by 20 kewang
members. The commitment of the kewang was strong. The former kewang head in Hulaliu, Albert
Matulessy, explained: “The rules are applied to anyone, with no exception, not even for a kewang’s
wife. If she would take anything that is not ripe, and he (i.e., the kewang husband) would not
interfere, another kewang might see it and punish him. But also if nobody would see him, the
ancestors would deal with it.” The kewang oath (to apply the regulations to any offender
regardless of their position or relationship) ensured fair and legitimate enforcement. Small cases
were fined, but serious offenders underwent more severe punishment. While drums were played
in the background, the offender was made to walk around the village dressed in coconut leaves
tied around the waist. While walking, people would beat him/her with wooden sticks. This
custom ended when the position of the kewang was undermined by the village head, who would
confiscate the fine money. The village head further undermined the kewang’s authority when he
protected his relatives, who broke the rules, against the kewang. The kewang was discouraged
and not willing to deal with the lack of support, and they decided to quit.
The kewang’s authority was taken over by the church. Enforcement was effective: “When the
kewang was alive, the people would break the rules all the time. But when control was taken over
by the church, the people obeyed,” Bobby Leisana, a Hulaliu fisher explained. The strength of
enforcement by the church lay in the fact that the church as an institution was more stable than
Desa Hulaliu, Haruku Island 167