INDONESIA, Komodo Island - December 2000
Alternative fishing program, Komodo Island National Park
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Komodo National Park in Indonesia is composed of 510 square miles of some of the most biologically diverse waters, reefs, mangroves and bays in the world. The waters within the park provide habitat for more than 1,000 species of fish, approximately 260 species of reef-building coral, 70 species of sponge, and the endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles. Two destructive fishing practices, dynamite and cyanide fishing, are severely damaging the reef fish populations as well as the reef itself. Fish aggregating devices placed in the 5,000-foot deep waters outside the boundary of Komodo National Park provide an incentive for the fishing community to fish the open ocean away from the threatened coral reefs. Fish aggregating devices attract pelagic fish such as yellow fin tuna, skipjack tuna and Spanish mackerel which migrate through the Indo-Pacific. Seacology funds have been used to support The Nature Conservancy in training fishers from two Komodo Island communities in the skills needed to fish off deep-water fish aggregating devices, and also to equip and refit boats with equipment appropriate for this type of fishing. This is enabling the local fishing community to continue earning a living from fishing without destroying the coral reefs.*
UPDATE July 2004 - The Fish Aggregating Device is in place and is being utilized by fishermen as an alternative to blast fishing on the coral reefs. The project has encouraged the development of a local fishery for pelagic fish. More fishers have now adopted the design of the original FADs and are deploying and maintaining FADs independently. A nearby village business recently built a cold storage house where fishers can sell their catch. A Seacology delegation visited (and dived) the site in October 2002 and also visited the nearby fishing village.
UPDATE June 2008 - Between 2004 and 2006 fisherman from Seraya Island personally financed FADs to catch tuna. In 2007 a fish cold storage business was set up, installing five FAD units at approximately 1,250 meters in depth. While those FADs were lost in storms during the wet season, three replacement FADS were installed at approximately 600 meters in depth off the northern end of Seraya Island. Fishermen routinely fish on these FADs and sell the fish back to the cold storage business. With the continued availability of FAD fishing and successful marketing, village coral reef fishing has been eliminated.
*Support for asterisked projects is provided fully or in part by the
Nu
Skin Enterprises Force for Good Foundation
