6. Ease of entry (costs)
Ease of entry has declined significantly compared to the past and further decrease is expected in
the future. It was mentioned that outsiders have to pay in order to fish. Local fishers, however,
also experienced higher costs, but did not specify why. Probably the necessity to acquire more
expensive fishing gears due to competition plays a role here.
7. Control over access to the fishery
Control over access to the fishery has not changed over time, but it is expected to decline
slightly in the future. Again, perceptions varied.
Access is mainly regulated by the village government. Over half agreed that a fisher should
be able to ask for and get harvesting rights in a sasi area during the closed season. Nearly all
disagreed with the sale of resource harvest rights to outsiders. However, they have no power
to change this. About 63% of the fishers agreed that fisheries rules should be changed.
8. Compliance
Compliance with fisheries rules has drastically declined since the past, and further
deterioration is expected. There are no data on the numbers of offenders caught each month,
but the villagers explained that certain people use the political instability in the village as an
excuse to ignore the rules. Most offences are made because of economic needs, but foremost,
because of lack of control by the village head.
13.8.3 Social sustainability
9. Family well-being
Family well-being has improved significantly, but is not expected to improve in future. The drop in
clove prices has had a negative effect on family well-being, and it was mentioned that the people
lack the skills to improve their livelihood. On the other hand, there are some factors that stimulate
family well-being, such as the improved infrastructure and favorable markets which stimulate profits.
10. Income
Fishers reported no significant increase in income over the past 15 years and expect no further
change. Better infrastructure and job prospects have a positive effect on income. Favorable are
also the high prices paid for fish, but yields are low. The lack of hope for future prosperity shows
that people understand that the benefits from rising prices will only last as long as fish are available.
It was also noted that markets are far away which makes trade difficult and less lucrative.
11. Tradition of collective action
Hulaliu fishers rate past performance very high; scores of 8-10 predominate. Compared to
the past, the respondents perceived a significant negative change in communal activities in
the village. They expect it to drop further in future. The main causes for the decline are the
change in mentality (materialism) and the payment system which replaced the voluntarily
help people had provided before. Other people blamed the “village administration” (read:
village head) for the decline in collective action. Thirty percent of our fishers’ sample hoped
that the conditions would not change because “it is tradition”.
174 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia