Interviewers found that the ladder as a visual aid was effective. However, the questions,
especially those pertaining to access to resources, the concept of resource management and
participation in decision-making, were difficult for some fishers to understand. Interviewers
sometimes spent up to several hours with a respondent as each question was explained and
discussed.
Sasi as an institution applies only to inshore resources, whereas most fishers gain their living
from the offshore pelagic fishery. Answers to questions were, therefore, often relevant to the
larger fishery but not to resources managed under sasi.
Marine survey methods were “quick and dirty”, gathering limited data on a few indicators.
They were also carried out only in a few areas; therefore conclusions drawn from the marine
survey data must be viewed as preliminary.
Finally, all interviews were performed and recorded in Bahasa Indonesia, partially analyzed
by Indonesian staff, then translated into English before final analysis. Where interpretation
of translated information was unclear, the information was not used unless it could be verified
from other sources.
26 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia