interesting to see the government’s approach towards revitalization. Discussion of village issues,
and the role of fishers in management currently score lowest of all villages. Fishers feel excluded
from decision-making. Although more than 90% of the fishers feel that sasi is important, they
expect a severe decline in access to resources. Together with the fact that the fishers interviewed
preferred a communal harvest of sasi products over an auctioned one, it is not surprising that
compliance, which is already very low, will decrease further in the future.
16.7.3 Villages with no sasi
The Hutumuri fishery is not regulated. Respect from the people for the village government in
Hutumuri is low. Even though Hutumuri fishers have the highest level of education, the
highest economic score, an average dependence on fishing and relatively short hours at sea,
their perceptions are relatively negative and for many other indicators, they gave a low (or
lowest) score. The fishers’ assessment of the natural resources (state of resource and fish
catches) is very negative and they expect further decrease in the future. Their family well-
being score went from the highest to the lowest score. Their income, however, has not
drastically declined and it is expected that this has to do with the fact that the fishery is an
open-access system and control over the resources by the government is minimal. Large
numbers of lift nets block the entrance to Baguala Bay and factories pollute the near shore
waters. The lack of a management structure or strong government causes the fishers to feel
powerless. Although there are few conflicts in the village and generally, scores for communal
decision-making and discussion of village issues are good, it seems that aversion towards the
village government causes negative assessments. Significant declines in the role of fishers in
management, communal decision-making, and compliance underline this idea.
Seri is also an open-access regime and, in many respects, comparable to Hutumuri. Their
assessment, in general, for most performance indicators is positive. Seri fishers have a high
economic score, the highest income and their family well-being and future prospects are bright.
They rate, for example, the state of the resource and fish catches as least in decline. The reason,
however, is that respondents are relatively young and have the least numbers of years’
experience in fishing. Also, these fishers had a less rosy picture of the past. In contrast to all
other villages, the catches of some Seri fishers have increased, but this is a possible indicator
that many of the fishers in our sample have no gear of their own and work on lift nets or
seiners. Seri also lies close to rich fishing grounds. The fishers are also positive about the
distribution of means of production in the village and economic equality. Fishers feel that
government control is high and so is compliance. This all seems very positive. However, on
the social level, village life is deteriorating. There is a significant decline in collective action,
discussion of village issues, and the occurrence of conflicts is highest of all villages. Alcohol
abuse is a major problem. Seri, in the proximity of Ambon, has to deal with increasing
individualism, competition, and modernization, which have positive economic effects, but
also cause social decline.
16.8 Conclusions
16.8.1 Socio-economic variables having an impact on local fisheries management
The socio-economic variables that have the strongest relationship with perceptions of fisheries
management are the style of decision-making in their village and the fishers’ own desire to be
included in fisheries decision-making, the willingness of fishers to change jobs, the opinion
that fishers have of sasi, their satisfaction with existing rules and attitude towards bending
238 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia