MIMBAR, Vol. 33, No. 1st (June, 2017) A Model of Communication to Empower Fisherman Community in Bengkalis Regency 1YASIR, 2NURJANAH, 3CHELSY YESICHA 1,2,3Department of Communication Science of Social and Political Science Faculty (FISIP) of Universitas Riau, Jl. HR Soebrantas KM 12,5 Pekanbaru 28293 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract. Fishermen are generally still poor and use traditional way. The aims of this research are to understand the empowerment of communication pattern, to explain the media used, and to describe the model of government communication in empowering fishermen in Bengkalis. This research uses qualitative method. The research result shows that the patterns of communication are done through mentoring and counseling, socializing and establishing vocational schools of fishery, providing tools and capital facilities, building fishing villages, and developing villages’ tourism. The media used are website and released in the print media, billboards and banners, calendars and posters, and films. The model of communication in empowering fishermen relies on Marine and Fisheries Departments, especially Field Officers (PPL), and by coordinating with other departments such as academician, police, universities and society. Keywords: communication, empowerment, media, counseling, fishermen. Introduction conflicts to coastal communities. One of the fundamental problems in the development The management of fishery and coastal and improvement of the quality of fishermen’s resources becomes one of the important life is the lack of government effort in agendas in the current national development empowerment and communication. The policy. The attention of the Ministry of government ways to communicate do Fisheries and Marine Affairs (KKP) of the not improve the fishermen community’s Republic of Indonesia towards maritime/ welfare yet. The process of participative marine development is still does not improve communication, dialogical, and motivational the life quality of coastal communities, actually becomes very important to improve especially fishermen. The low standard the fishermen community’s welfare. of coastal communities’ living and limited access to get assets and financial sources The government does not optimally is a major problem for fishermen. In this motivate the fishermen which cause them case, Amanah (2010: 1) reveals that coastal living a life far from prosperity. Bengkalis communities have a distinctive life, face district as one of the districts in Indonesia is directly a harsh ecosystem and sources of life a region of fishermen. In this district, most of that depend on coastal and marine resources. the people living in the coastal areas are still Coastal communities, especially traditional using traditional way in fishing. Fishermen fishermen, are still entangled by poverty and are generally using longline fishing gear, gill backwardness problems. Amanah (2010: 17) nets, seine trawl, “langgai” and ponds. The also explained that the condition of coastal fish they catch are only for the daily use and communities and fishermen has not been is simply sold to the local people or is made free from the problems encountered including into salted fish. limited access to capital resources and the Nurjanah (2015: 129) reveals the weakness of communication role in bridging traditional fishermen’s competition with large the gap that occurred. capitalized fishermen using bottom gill net is It is not yet related to marine ecological a great threat to the traditional fishermen, issues and socio-economic vulnerability or especially in Bantan District. The bottom Received: January 04, 2017, Revision: July 25, 2017, Accepted: December 14, 2017 Print ISSN: 0215-8175; Online ISSN: 2303-2499. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29313 Accredited B based on the decree No.040/P/2014, valid on February, 18, 2014 until February, 18, 2019. Indexed by DOAJ, Sinta, IPI 226 MIMBAR, Vol. 33, No. 2nd (December, 2017), pp. 226-235 gillnet threatens the survival of the families the econo m ic potential of high fishermen and the viability of aquatic resources since society i s not followed by facilities and nearly 100% of these traditional fishermen supportin g infrastructure. In other words, rely on their traditional way to catch the fish. the government should evaluate policies and programs t o further improve the quality of The further impacts are increasingly fishermen through better infrastructure and difficult to capture, resulting in increased facilities development. inequalities, declining incomes, and poverty, as well as lack of prosperity among traditional Sartika (2011: 111) also revealed that fishing communities. The scarcity of fishery the government policy had not improved the resources, especially the types of fish with welfare of fishermen in Pangandaran District. high economic value, prospective markets, One of the fishermen empowerment policies and fishing gear used are factors considered offered i s the government intervention in as sources of conflict occurred between and fisheries business, both traditional and cluster- among the fishermen. The intensity of conflict based industries. Similarly, Govindaraju and is determined by the degree of difference of Mabel (20 1 0: 128), conducted research fishing technology used by the fishermen, the in villag e s which already equipped with a limited territorial distribution of species, and village k n owledge center (VKG) developed the number of fishermen who fight over it. by a local agency in serving the community related t o e-governance, e-agriculture, The government has a strategic role to e-educati o n, e-health, and other facilities transform and empower this community, as for free. This research reveals the role of well as the efforts and cooperation of other this body through technological adoption in non-governmental institutions such as non- empowerin g communities of fishermen in governmental organizations (NGOs), private this village. sector through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, universities, and community The purpose of this study is to explore in general. However, what often happens or unders t and the communication process is the suspicion or distrust of traditional in empowe r ing fishermen community of fishermen against the government because Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province. Apart from of repeated attitudes from the Department of the existing problems, there are three purposes Fisheries and officials who did not at their side of this study. Firstly, to understand the forms in handling the cases occurred. For example, of communication in empowering fishermen the conflict between the traditional fishermen community conducted by the government. and the large capital fishermen who use the Secondly, to find out the media used by the bottom gillnets. governmen t in improving the fishermen’s welfare i n Bengkalis Regency. Thirdly, to In addition, the lack of sustainable understand the model of communication in communication through mentoring, empowering fishermen in Bengkalis Regency. counseling, coaching, or other efforts from the national government, provincial, and district levels in empowering the community Research methods has not yet changed the level of fishermen’s welfare. Likewise, NGOs, universities or other In this research, the researchers use a institutions which give less concern and show qualitative research method with explorative no active interest in the efforts to transform research type. This research seeks to collect, the coastal environment or fishermen compile, and interpret the existing data, and communities into a better condition. analyze the object under study by referring to the research procedures with mainly collecting In this case, Widjajanti (2016: 2486) qualitative data using interpretation. Then, describes the strategy and model of building the researchers present data in the form of the structure of fishing village in Sukolilo beach statement s or sentences systematically to area of Surabaya to improve the fishermen’s explain the substance of the problem in order family we l fare. Widjajati reveals that the to obtain a clear picture of the communication management and structuring of coastal areas model of fishermen community empowerment or resources can improve the economic level in Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province. of commun i ty and local government. With appropria t e spatial strategies and models, The subjects of this research are some the fishe r man community can improve the governmen t apparatuses in Fisheries and quality o f their life and environment. But Maritime Department of Bengkalis Regency, what is i n teresting in this research is that some memb e rs of fishermen community ‘Terakreditasi’ SK Kemendikbud, No.040/P/2014, berlaku 18-02-2014 s.d 18-02-2019 227 YASIR, ET ALL. A Model Of Communication To Empower Fisherman Community In... groups in Bengkalis Regency, and field that humans are not passive communicants, assistance officers (PPL). The informant as a but the result of their social environment subject was chosen purposively according to (Sulistyowati, et al., 2005: 87). the data requirement of this research. The The essence of this empowerment object of this research is the communication communication model is the communication model of fishermen community empowerment process which makes it possible for and in Bengkalis Regency. The Data collection reckons the emergence of new ideas at the techniques used are interviews, direct time