Examining conservation and development live reef food fish (LRFF) trade in Indonesia

SeaWeb 10th International Seafood Summit, Hong Kong 6-8 September 2012

Irendra Radjawali

Faculty of Social Sciences, Bremen University, GermanyInstitute of Oriental and Asian Studies, Bonn University, GermanyEnlightening Indonesia, Makassar, Indonesiaradja@hotmail.com

LRFF trade: Facts and figures

• Live reef food fish (LRFF) is the term used for fish that are kept alive until cooking in order to preserve their freshness.

HK imports 13,000 tons in 2002 (official data)

Worth US$ 350 M Koeshendrajana 2006, Sadovy 2003

Total Hk Imports might reach 18,000 tons/year (+unreported)

US$ 450-500 M Muldoon and Scott 2005, Sadovy 2003

Global trade reaches 30,000 tons (HK accounted for 60%)

US$810M – US$1 B

Source: California Environmental Associate, 2011

LRFF trade: “roving bandit”

Scales et.al. (2006)

LRFF trade: “the trade networks”

Source: Bentley 1997

Geoffrey Muldoon / WWF

LRFF fishing and trade in Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

150 islands with fringing reefs as well as a large number of barrier and submerged patch reefs

Local name Indonesian English LatinNapoleon Napoleon Napoleon wrasse, humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatusSunu tikus Kerapu tikus Polkadot grouper, highfinned

grouper, barramundi codCromileptes altivelis

Sunu merah Kerapu merah / sunu merah Coral trout, leopard grouper Plectropomus leopardusSunu merah Sunu pappa Polkadot cod Plectropomus areolatusSunu merah Kerapu merah / sunu merah Violet coral trout Plectropomus pessuliferusSunu kwaci Sunu kwaci Red-flushed cod Aethaloperca logaaSunu macan / kerapu lumpur

Sunu macan Tiger grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus

Sunu bone Sunu bone Spotted coral trout Plectropomus maculatus

Napoleon Wrasse / Cheilinus undulatusIUCN Redlist : Endangered

Source: www.fishbase.org

Highfinned grouper / Cromileptes altivelisIUCN Redlist: Vulnerable

LRFF fishing and trade is the process of catching the fish from the sea and trading them through different middle men until they reach the end consumer

LRFF fishing and trade

...constitute a new and unique type of tropical marine commodity because it hinges on the fish’s biophysical forms and their corresponding need to be constantly immersed in clean, cool, oxygen-rich seawater to survive. ..

Source: www.fishbase.org

Ponds in Jakarta or BaliHong Kong

2 hours flight

6 hours flight

Fish distribution networks and its economic value

Baby (<0.6 kg) Super (0.6-1 kg) Up (>1.2 kg) Price in HK

Highfinned grouper 7.85 USD 23 USD 36.6 USD 250 USD

Spotted coral trout 3.66 USD 6.27 USD 7.85 USD 100-150 USD

Napoleon wrasse 36.6 USD 300 USD

Sizing rules

LRFF networks

To what extent networks (social) play role in LRFF fishing and trade?

Fishing network

Prosecution insurance network

Trade network

1 2 3

5 6 7

11

8 9 10

13 14

4

12

HK retailer/restaurantHK importerJKT/Bali exporter

Makassar collector / boss

Island collector / patron

Fishermen

Fishing networks• Who

– Patron and clients(locally known as punggawa and sawi)“The patron-client relationship can be characterized generally as an unequal (but theoretically non-binding) relationship between a superior (that is, a patron or leader) and a number of inferiors (that is, clients, retainers, or followers), based on an asymmetric exchange of services, where the de facto dependence on the patron of the clients, whose unpaid services may include economic obligations, paid or unpaid work, armed service, political support and other services, is counterbalanced by the role the patron plays as a leading figure for all the clients and by the assistance, incuding the monetary loans and protection, he or she provides when necessary” (Pelras, 2000).

“When the patronage relationship is not primarily set in a political context, but is primarily economic in character, the terms used in South Sulawesi are punggawa for the patron and sawi for the client”

• How– Debt (anywhere between 3M-20M Rp.

/ USD 300 – USD 2,000 per year)– Influenced by the monsoon climate– Sizing rules – Beliefs: as long as there are leafs on the

leafs on the trees, fish are always available

Type of support Value

Boat and machine IDR 7,000,000 (US$ 700)

Nylon IDR 4,000 (US$ 0.4)

Gloves IDR 3,000 (US$ 0.3)

Tymbal IDR 3,000 (US$ 0.3)

Hook (1 box) IDR 15,000 (US$ 1.5)

Wire IDR 20,000 (US$ 2)

Small buoy IDR 5,000 (US$ 0.5)

Petrol, food, coffee, cigarettes (daily basis)

IDR 50,000 (US$ 5)

Trade networks• Who

– Patron (island), boss (Makassar), exporter ( Jakarta / Bali), Importer (HK)

• How– Various strategies to minimize the risks: (1) to keep the fish in the

pond as short as possible, (2) to treat fish with different biological and chemical treatments, (3) special packaging treatment for fish transportation.

– Credit (Debt) anywhere between 40M-150M rupiahs (4,000 – 15,000 USD) per year (boss and patron)

– Sizing rules

Sodium Nifrustyrenate terramicyn

Catching the fish

Sodium cyanide/potassium cyanide

Keeping the fish ‘healthy and fresh’ Anesthetizing the fish

Ready to transport

Prosecution insurance networks

• Who– Patrons, bosses, and some government officials (incl. Navy and

Police)• How

– Regular bribing

Prosecution Insurance Body Amount

Water police IDR 50,000 - IDR 100,000 (US$ 5 – US$ 10) per person per visit.

Commandant of water police IDR 1,000,000– IDR 2,000,000 (US$ 100 – US$ 200) per month.

Navy IDR 50,000 (US$ 5) per person per visit

Commandant of Navy IDR 1,000,000– IDR 2,000,000 (US$ 100 – US$ 200) per month.

We give the commander of the police between IDR 1 million and IDR 2 million [between USD 100and USD 200] per month and give IDR 50,000 [approximately USD 5] to each officer who comes to our place. There are usually two or three officers who come to collect money.) (Interview #3 and #4 in Makassar, May 10 and May 18-21, 2010

Conservation and Development initiative: COREMAP • COREMAP (Coral reef rehabilitation and management project) a 15-year

project funded by several sources through loans and grants.• USD 96.27 million • Protect, rehabilitate and achieve the sustainable use of coral reefs and their

associated ecosystems in Indonesia, which is in turn expected to enhance the welfare of coastal communities (IUCN, 2002).

• Develop a viable coral reef management system in Indonesia in order to place the community at the center of coral reef management (IUCN, 2002).

6 years in prison / payment of 120,000 USD

What’s the problem ?

• Overfishing– Non-resilience– Massive depletion [Napoleon wrasse]

• Cyanide fishing : impact to the coral reefs• LRFF – Protogynous hermaphrodite (changing sex from

female to male)• Targetting sexually mature female – looking for ‘super’ size• Debt and credit structure – cyanide fishing • Absence of alternative livelihood – cyanide fishing• Transparency – bribing / rent-seeking• Health issues of consumers ?

COREMAP

• Community Based – Marine Protected Areas (CB-MPA)• Decentralize political power• More attention on community-based approaches – effectively protect marine

areas and abate declining fish catches• Target: 1 No Take Area (NTA) per village• Micro credit for the island communities [1M Rp. / 100 US$ per month, 20% of

interest]

COREMAP – on the ground• 53% of the communities were not familiar with NTA’s establishment• NTA markers/buoy were gone / sunk in 2009 (established in 2007)• CB-MPA illustrates that it is perceived as good but it is not an effective program.• CB-MPA is also perceived as a program which only benefit the ‘elites’ who are not

the residents of the islands and not directly affected by the program.• Elite capture

CB- MPA is a good idea, for it provides space for fish nests; however, fishermen keep on going to that area (the no take areas) when the person seen as influential was absent. Even a patron practiced blast-fishing there...

The money from COREMAP is just for the family close to COREMAP but not for others. It is also just for people who have money already ...

Multi-level Challenges

• At consumers’ side– Focus on health issues ?

• At middlemen– Rent-seeking and corruption – Transparency!– Credit networks

• At suppliers’ side– Rapid exploitation , new fishing grounds– Cyanide fishing– Overlapping dimensions [social, economic, politics]– Room for maneouvre [ bosses and patrons invest in other sectors]– Absence of alternative livelihood– Debt networks

Promoting Sustainability

Is it possible ?

Y E S

Some ideas for conservation and development – Let’s discuss together

• Awareness of (and deal with?) socio-economic and socio-political dynamics – ‘real’ community participation and involvement

• Dealing with corruption ?• Different multi-level approaches [consumers, middlemen, suppliers]• Integrated• Science supported [better monitoring and database on fish stocks,

decision supporting system]• Continuing and long-term• Trade monitoring – involve middlemen • Governance and goverment

Inputs from the scientists: Network Analysis – centrality measures of fishing networks

1. Who is the ‘central’ person to establish effective conservation?2. Who is the ‘central’ person in the debt networks?3. Who is the ‘central’ person in influencing directly the fishermen?

Scientists at work : Reef Game

Identifying fish

Mapping and gamming

Acknowledgement

• Prof. Dr. Michael Flitner• Dr.habil.Marion Glaser• Mr. Muhammad Neil• Dr. Rio Deswandi• Dr. Dewi Yanuarita• Dr. Geoffrey Muldoon • Prof. Yvonne Sadovy• Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology – Bremen• Fellow researchers: Andi Suncoko, Hafez, Narto, Umar, Yuli, Gunardi, Enab, Edhy, Shidik,

Abenk, Rega• SPICE Project• Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen

谢谢 , Thank you, Terimakasih, Danke

Things should be made as simple as possible but not simpler - Albert Einstein

The goal of science is to make the wonderful and complex understandable and simple, but not less wonderful - Herb Simon, Science of the Artificial

This is not about‘fear’, there’s HOPE and we need to ACT together NOW