Leadership
The dusun head, who is said to be highly legitimate and respected by most people, plays an
important role in the development of the village. Others criticized him for being in this position
too long and for being not strong enough. But as a former school teacher, he has had most of
the villagers under his wing at some time, and still wields authority over them. He is said to
rule as an understanding man and he tries to involve local villagers in meetings. A good
example and strong, active leadership are important incentives for fisheries management.
14.7 Patterns of Interaction
Seri’s fishery is in a good condition because of a rich upwelling area in front of the village.
The intensification of the fishery, through the use of lift nets and large-scale purse seiners,
has lead to increased catches for the commercial sector. Artisanal fishers have observed a
decline in their catches, but the idea of intensifying fishing efforts still prevails. For poverty
alleviation, the fishers thought, the best strategy was to build a lift net.
However, due to the ever-increasing, apparently unregulated, installation of fishing devices,
the resource is deteriorating even more. Permits, however, are granted by higher government
levels and all that the Seri village government can do is informally ask for access fees.
Few regulations, combined with a lack of enforcement agent, leave the Seri fishery as an
open-access regime. For the artisanal fishers, there is no alternative but to increase their efforts.
The large-scale fishery is productive and powerful. In order to regulate the fishery and manage
it for the common good, regulations should be installed and a management regime established.
14.8 Outcomes
14.8.1 Equity
1. Role of fishers in management
The role of fishers in management has not changed significantly over time. The perceptions
of past, current and future roles are varied. Some feel that the dusun head makes all the
decisions. Others noted that the fishers are involved and that their input has increased. For
example, when researchers come to the village or training is conducted, the villagers are invited
to be present and discuss matters. Some fishers noted that people can easily make decisions
more now that they are better informed and educated.
When asked about power sharing, the majority of the fishers saw the community as having
main responsibility for fisheries management. Roughly a third felt that the government had
actually most or total responsibility for fisheries management, while 7% felt responsibility
was shared equally between the people and the government.
2. Access to marine resources
The fishers’ individual access to resources has diminished significantly compared to the past
and they expect more restrictions in future. People explained that access is limited because
they are required to have permits to enter the sea and because the boundaries of the fishery
190 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia