3.4.5 Other commercial species
Most lucrative of the other species fished in Maluku are shrimp and pearl oysters, both of
which are mostly caught in southern, not central Maluku. Various other shellfish, seaweeds,
sharks, octopus and squid, and ornamental fish, are also caught for commercial markets.
Ornamental fish harvesters commonly employ divers who use potassium cyanide.
3.5 Impact of Destructive Fishing Methods
Decreasing catches of baitfish in the Saparua waters (Siahainenia and Tubalawony 1993) have
been blamed on both increased fishing activity and the use of non-selective fishing methods.
For instance, very small mesh (under 5 mm) is used in lift nets (bagan) and beach seines.
Where lift net fishers report increasing catches, it is often because of the use of smaller and
smaller mesh sizes. Conflict over access to pelagic fish is common between the lift net fishers
with their fine mesh nets and the hand line sector on Ambon Island (J. Sohouwat, Hutumuri
village, pers. comm. 1996).
The high price offered for grouper (Ephinephelus spp.), ornamental fish and lobster have
encouraged the use of potassium cyanide as a fishing method. The use of potassium cyanide
is very common in central Maluku waters (Abrahamsz and Hetarie 1994; Geser, Gorom and
Watubela 1997). Blast fishing is also common, both for reef and pelagic fish, and causes
widespread damage to coral habitats (I. Novaczek pers. obs.).
The trap net is a simple fishing gear designed by local communities that is often destructive
because people use hard corals as an anchor for the net. Traditional woven fish traps called
bubu are also destructive if set out on top of living corals or if coral branches are used to
camouflage the trap. A third artisanal activity that destroys corals is bameti - the practice of
walking out over the living reef at low tide to harvest shellfish and octopus. During bameti,
iron bars are often used to break up coral heads or dig large clams out of the reef. Even more
destructive is the technique called muro-ami, in which fishers use rocks to smash corals and
chase the reef fish out into a net.
3.6 Seasonality
Fishing activity and catch rates vary seasonally. In central Maluku, there are two distinct
seasonal monsoons. The westerly monsoon blows from the east and southeast from around
November through April. Strong winds from the west and northwest and carrying rain prevail
during June-September. October and May are transitional and unpredictable. Because of the
risk of loss, lift nets either get pulled to shore during the height of the windy season or are
moved to the leeward side of an island. Although some larger operators have the ability to
move their boats and lift nets about, or have vessels capable of weathering high waves, the
artisanal sector is much more vulnerable to seasonal change. Typically, smaller fishers are
literally “blown off the water” for almost half of the year. The season of limited catches
varies, depending on when local fishing grounds are subject to onshore winds.
In addition to seasonal cycles, fishers are also affected by lunar cycles. For instance, hand
liners targeting reef fish report that their catches are large during full moon high tides. In
contrast, fishers working on floating lift nets or beside fish aggregating devices, as well as
beach seiners that work at night and attract fish with lights, find the full moon to be the worst
Regional and Village Level Context 35