Fishermen Do Not Sail for A Month Due to Bad Weather

Palembang, Kompas – Fishermen in the coastal area of South Sumatra cannot sail for a month due to strong wind and high wave. This bad weather is predicted to last up to three months ahead.

Simpang Tiga Jaya Village Head, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, South Sumatra, Herman Sulaeman, said the fishermen in his village cannot sail since December. Besides strong wind, wave height in Sumatra’s eastern coast reaches 3 meters so it cannot be passed by fishermen’s vessels averagely having under 10-GT capacity. “Currently, northwest season comes and will last in March. After that, the weather will return normal,” he said on Wednesday (1/21).

As long as bad weather strikes, the fishermen in Simpang Tiga Jaya Village can only net some crabs on the area 500 meters from coast line. This condition significantly lowers their income.

When sailing, those fishermen usually catch white pomfret with IDR 1 million gross income every day. By catching crabs, their gross income lowers to averagely IDR 200,000 per day.

Similar condition is also experienced by the fishermen in Muara Sungsang bordering with Bangka Strait. Wave height in Bangka Strait reaches 3-4 meters for a month followed by strong wind.

The fishermen at the village located in Musi River estuary can only catch fishes in the river and estuary for consumption. “Even, sea wave has entered for one meter,” said Sopian, a Muara Sungsang fisherman.

According to Sopian, this condition is usually experienced by fishermen every year. bad weather can last for four months from January to April. When they do not go sailing, Muara Sungsang fishermen depend on the income from fish cracker (kemplang), pempek, and salted fish.

However, people’s income during bad weather lowers for around 50 percent. “We have saved our six-month income for the months we cannot sail,” Spoian said. In this bad weather season, Sungsang fishermen admitted they have been warned by local government. (Kompas)

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