there are no fish brokers. In Ambon, all 23 of the fish brokers and their helpers are male,
ethnic Butonese but in smaller ports, the traders may be Ambonese. Each borok has a set of
clients (a “fishing family”) from whom he or she receives fish. In a typical day, he may handle
10-20 or up to 40-50 baskets of fish. The broker is responsible for selling all fish received each
day, for whatever price the market will bear. For this service, he receives 10% of the net sale
price (i.e., after subtracting expenses for transportation, market taxes etc.). In 1997, one borok
estimated that he cleared Rp700,000-Rp1 million per month (La Jafar Lim, Ambon, pers. comm.
1998). Prices are set according to the experience of the broker, the season and the abundance
of fish. A 10 kg basket of momar, which sold for as little as Rp2,000 in the early 1980s, fetched
between Rp40,000-Rp75,000 in 1997, depending on the season.
Fish brokers in Ambon handle fish that come in from Hutumuri, Seri, Tulehu, Hitu, Waai and
other small ports as well as fish caught in Ambon. Fish that get to market first thing in the
morning typically fetch the best price. Market price information flowing out of Ambon
influences fish prices in the outlying ports. Whether the news is carried by telephone to Tulehu
or by speedboat drivers to smaller ports, this information is gathered by retailers (papaleles
and jibu-jibus) throughout central Maluku and helps them to decide whether to sell their fish
locally or risk taking the fish to the larger market.
Each fish broker has a number of helpers called anak buah (a term that connotes dependency
and mutual relations) whose job is to unload fish from incoming vehicles, sort and guard the
fish, report on price fluctuations in the market place and assist with sales. The broker does not
buy the fish; he simply transfers them from the fisher to the purchaser, usually a fish vendor.
Each morning, several hundred retailers wait in the Ambon market to bargain with the brokers
as the fish arrive. Bargaining occurs only within limits established by the broker. A female fish
vendor may bargain for a basket of fish but not pay until later in the morning after the fish have
been sold. By that time the price may have changed, but she will pay the price agreed upon.
Between fish vendors and fish brokers exist important trade relations based on trust.
Occasionally a fish broker will take the risk of purchasing fish for resale, acting as a wholesaler.
This requires fish holding capacity and access to ice, as well as significant capital. This strategy
is most often employed by brokers who buy fish for a low price in an outlying port at a time
when fish shortages in Ambon ensure a high resale price.
The last market option is to sell to fish processing companies or transport ships. Fish brokers will
keep fish on ice and take them to the factories if market sales are slow. At the factories, prices are
fixed and depend on species, size and quality. For example, at P.T. Latoka in Masohi, skipjack
was purchased for Rp900-Rp1,700 per kg in 1997, with large fish of over 10 kg fetching the best
price. During the study period, two major price increases were noted, in January and February of
1998. This was in response to the monetary crisis that pushed up prices of fishing gears.
Prices at the processing factories are substantially lower than in the Ambon market, so this is
not the first choice for small-scale fishers. However, larger commercial boats needing to move
significant tonnage usually have a steady relationship with the processing companies. In the
study area, there are several major companies, including Latoka Indonesia in Amahai on Seram
Island, P. T. Sumber Aneka Tata Bahari in Tulehu, Ambon Island and two newer factories in
Leahari and in Toisapu, Ambon Island. In addition, there are ships such as the Mina Raya
that purchase fish and move them directly to markets in western Indonesia. These companies
handle pelagic fish: skipjack (cakalang), tuna and several smaller species (komu, momar, see
Table 3.1). They obtain the bulk of their fish from pole and line boats and seiners, for whom
they provide docking facilities, storage bins, ice and fish aggregating devices (rumpon).
The Fisheries and Fish Markets of Central Maluku 55