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Mapping the Potential of… in Outer Island of Southwest Maluku (Mahulette, R.T & A.S. Samusamu) Available online at: http://ejournal-balitbang.kkp.go.id/index.php/ifrj e-mail:[email protected] INDONESIANFISHERIESRESEARCHJOURNAL Volume 26 Nomor 1 June 2020 p-ISSN: 0853-8980 e-ISSN: 2502-6569 Accreditation Number RISTEKDIKTI: 21/E/KPT/2018 MAPPING THE POTENTIAL OF MARINE LIVING RESOURCES IN THE OUTER ISLANDS OF SOUTHWEST MALUKU Ralph Thomas Mahulette*1 and Andarias Steward Samusamu1 1Research Center for Fisheries, Jln. Pasir Putih II, Ancol Timur, Jakarta Utara-14430, Indonesia Received; September 27-2018 Received in revised from March 02-2020; Accepted March 13-2020 ABSTRACT Southwest Maluku or Maluku Barat Daya (MBD) Regency is in the southeastern part of the outer rings of the Indonesian Archipelagic States. This regency consists of 17 districts covering 48 islands that lie scattered in the region in which 31 islands among them are uninhabited. Mapping information on challenges and opportunities on marine living resource dependence on community livelihood is limited. This area has a total population of about 72.300 persons with 4.069 (5.6 %) of them are fishers. The coastal ecosystems include coral reefs (595 Ha), mangrove (7.8 Ha), and seagrass (57 Ha). Seaweed harvesting and cultivation are ones that would be developed as an alternate livelihood for the community. The goal of this research was to describe a general situation of community livelihood that was supported by the role of marine fisheries. The environmental parameters, such as monthly air temperature, rainfall, and wind speed, were plotted as supporting information. General description of the fishing boat and fishing gear, annual production, and distribution of fishers and households around the islands were discussed. The result showed that the fisheries category was small scale with one-day fishing. The population distribution and fishermen were also used as a baseline parameter to elaborate on the potential of marine living resources in the interested area. Those resources were described with existing small-scale fisheries issues based on limited serial data that were gathered through field observation. The secondary data, such as Southwest Maluku District (MBD) annual data, from the Local Statistical Board (BPS) yearly report, were also used in this paper. Keywords: Small Islands; marine living resources; Southwest Maluku INTRODUCTION Because this area consists of islands, the traditional living of the community are very familiar and harmonize Southwest Maluku Regency is an expanded with natural resources during every single day of life. administrative region, geographically located between In this climate condition, the coastal community of 07007’ to 080 28’ S and 1260 72’ to 1300 09’ E. The this area has an inherent benefit to produce traditional regency comprises of 17 districts that are located in table or kitchen salt during the dry season to supply three major islands: Terselatan Island, Lemola Island, daily local consumption, particularly in Luang Island, and Barbar Island. Forty-eight small islands are where the people traditionally use salt to provide salted spreading in the regency, which the capital city is fish. Luang Island is known as a village that has Tiakur in Moa Island, with administrative boundaries produced dried anchovy since several decades ago. are the Banda Sea in the northern part, Tanimbar Island in the east, Alor Islands in the west, and the Timor Limited existing land-based resources, marine Sea in the south. The area is surrounded by marine resources have played a significant role in supporting and coastal regions, with a water-covered area is daily livelihood demand of the community to sustain around 64,000 km2. District of Mdona Hiera and Damer their welfare as the inhabitants of the outer islands of Islands are bordering with a neighboring country of Indonesia. The prospect of developing small islands the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste. is relatively slow even though the area has a perfect opportunity due to the availability of domestic The general climate condition of the region is resources that are recently commonly used in local relatively warm, with annual air temperature ranging communities and cultures. The marine renewable between 29.9 - 33.8 oC (BPS MTB, 2017), with an resources were relatively low exploited while the average of 30 oC occurs almost the whole year. response to apply technology has been slow. ___________________ correspondence author: e-mail: [email protected] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15578/ifrj.26.1.2020.19-32 19 Copyright © 2020, Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal (IFRJ) Ind.Fish.Res.J. Vol. 26 No. 1 June 2020: 19-32 Small scale capture fisheries contribute as the Descriptive analyses were applied through community’s primary income. Therefore, the local graphical and tabulation to identify the performance fisheries resources should be sustained to maintain status and the trend of fisheries and their opportunities their livelihood. Some other interesting sources of for coastal community livelihood. Secondary fisheries livelihood also existed to describe a diverse source of data from 2005 to 2017 were treated as a supporting income, such as seaweed harvesting and cultivation. database to obtain and provide a better profile Homemade table salt production is a traditional activity regarding the improvement of the existing fisheries carried out by the coastal community, particularly status and condition. during the dry season. The salt products are not for sale but mostly used for the family’s daily needs. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Seaweed farming and mariculture would also RESULTS potentially contribute to natural resources in this area. These outer small island fisheries are Demographic Characteristics incredibly complicated and in many cases are poorly understood. There are three large groups of small islands, i.e., the Terselatan group with an area of 4,681 km2, Lemola The result of this study was expected to be used group of 1,506 km2, and Babar group of 2,446 km2. as one of the baselines to increase awareness on the Concerning government authority, those areas were importance of capture fisheries dependence livelihood divided into eight districts: (kecamatan) Wetar, in MBD community. Therefore, in the future, it should Terselatan, Leti, Moa Lakor, Damer., Mdona Hiera, be attempted to increase market intervention through Babar, and East Babar Islands. Among the islands, fisheries improvement programs and networking Kisar Island, Leti Island, Wetar Island, and Marsela following the national agenda on achieving sustainable Island are the small outer islands of Indonesia (BPS, development goals. 2016). These islands were separated by the deep sea, whereas Sermata Island is surrounded by coral reefs. MATERIALS AND METHODS The total population is about 72,234 people, with Short observation was done by applying rapid inhabitants spread into 17 districts representing 17 appraisal on 8 - 22 April 2016 in Moa Island, the main among 48 islands of the area. The highest population location of the current research. At first, the field lives in Terselatan District, with 11,343 people surveys on two villages were conducted byinterviewing contributed 15% of the population, followed by Leti the local government officers. The villages were Tiakur, and Moa Lakor (10%), Babar, and East Babar (8%), the MBD District capital, and Kaiwatu, located at the while the rest were less than 5%. There are 31 islands Fish Landing Base (PPI) that is supervised by the uninhabited. The distance between the capital of MBD Regency Marine and Fisheries Office. to provincial capital is about 270 km across the Banda Sea (BPS-MTB, 2018) (Figure 1). Some secondary data and related information from several publications were used to explore the fisheries Small islands with relatively limited natural status of those villages. Secondary serial data were resources and fragile ecosystems would drive also available from the district fisheries office but was uncertainties to support their sustainable more limited than ones had been compiled from the development. Observation on ecological information Central Statistical Board (BPS MBD, 2005-2018). of Wetar Island (Yonvitner et al., 2016) indicates the General environmental parameters and population role of harvesting marine fish resource is the highest size and distribution were mentioned as well. Fisheries contribution with an index of 0.76 compared to aspects, such as annual landing, fisheries household, agricultural and fishery sectors (<0.06). Therefore, species composition, fleet structure, and gross maintaining fish resources with a precautionary domestic product were used to describe the role of approach should be one of the priorities to support capture fisheries in these outer islands. their livelihood. 20 Copyright © 2020, Indonesian Fisheries Research Journal (IFRJ) Mapping the Potential of… in Outer Island of Southwest Maluku (Mahulette, R.T & A.S. Samusamu) Figure 1. Islands and population distribution of MTB. Fishing as one of the main activities of coastal based on data of three consecutive years. The air communities is still not being supported by factory temperature ranged from 25.6 to 29.4oC, with an facilitations (BPS Maluku, 2018), this indicates that average of 27.7 + 0.99oC with a trend of slightly small scale home bases were the main of community increase. From 2015 to 2017, the lowest one occurred fisheries business. There is one landing place located in