TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Cirebon fishermen fall victim to loan sharks
Fishermen in Cirebon are facing difficult times as the bad weather continues
Change Size
Fishermen in Cirebon are facing difficult times as the bad weather continues. Some who dare to go out to sea are complaining about tiny catches, while others who prefer to stay at home do not have one at all, forcing them to eventually fall into the jaws of loan sharks.
Locals say the difficulties started in December 2008 when the bad weather came. The weather has yet to return to normal, forcing some fishermen to go back to sea, although often only to return home almost empty-handed.
"Because of the bad weather, we do not have the courage to sail further out to sea. We cannot go far from the beach due to the high waves," Mista, 50, from Citemu village, Mundu district, said.
As a result, he added, his catch was very small. Normally, he could catch between 25 to 50 kilograms of crabs, locally known as rajungan, but currently his catch was only between 2 and 5 kilograms.
"It is only enough to cover a single day of my family's daily needs." Mista said.
Cirebon fishermen are known for their specialty in catching crabs and small fish locally known as teri nasi.
"It is even more difficult to catch teri nasi during such bad weather," Mista added.
Separately, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Fishermen's (HNSI) Cirebon branch, Dade Mustofa Effendi, said those who forced themselves to go to sea in such bad weather mostly did it out of dire economic need.
"They stopped going to sea for a relatively long time. They decided to return despite the bad weather because their daily expenses were mounting and they just could not wait," he said, adding that some fishermen were also forced to change occupation, to being manual workers or pedicab drivers, just to help them earn something to support their families.
Many, however, preferred to stay at home, repairing their fishing boats and tools and thus earning nothing. As a consequence, to cover their daily needs they relied on credit, both from fishermen's cooperatives or neighboring kiosks selling staple foods, Dade said.
"Many have fallen into the hands of loan sharks. This is a matter of grave concern that the government should look into," Dade said.
Affected fishermen are mostly from the five main fishing districts of Mundu, Gebang, North Cirebon, Kapetakan and Losari. Their total population is about 25 million. Of them, 15 million are from Gebang district.
