Rough seas lead to drop in tuna exports
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap, Central Java | Tue, 01/31/2012 9:40 PM
Fishing in Cilacap waters, Central Java, has slowed dramatically due to bad weather.
Tuna exports, for example, have declined up to 70 percent over the past two weeks despite the fact that only a large boat can be deployed to catch tuna.
Cilacap Fishing Boat Association chairman Sanpo said Japan has been the main destination of Indonesia’s tuna exports.
“Cilacap usually exports 4 to 5 tons of tuna a day to Japan, but we could only export one ton over the past two weeks because of the weather at sea,” Sanpo told journalists on Tuesday.
He said fisherman and crew members were unwilling to go fishing.
“We have to postpone going to sea, hence our catch has dropped,” he said, adding that many boats had to immediately moor at a nearby port to be safe.
Waves reportedly reached 5 to 7 meters, causing 30,000 Cilacap fishermen to halt fishing activities.
“We are afraid to go to the sea, Mas. The waves are so high. Many have already fallen victim, so we have to be cautious,” Cilacap fishermen Tono, 43, told The Jakarta Post. (mtq)
