Rapid Ecological Assessment - Indo-Pacific Images

Chapter 2 - Socio-Economic Conditions in the Raja Ampat Islands
lump sum is irresistible to some. Unfortunately, once the fisherman starts fishing for his exclusive buyer, he
is coerced into fishing heavily every day in order to clear his ‘debt’. Young fishermen know that the poison
fishery is a bad thing, but as stocks of marine invertebrates had declined so drastically, this was a source of
income that could not easily be ignored.
A live fish trader in Fafanlap village emphasised that the fish are caught using a hook and line. He told us
that the best time for catching the targeted species was between November and May. This likely indicates
that the seasonal and highly predictable spawning aggregations occur during the middle period of this range
on a particular lunar phase. Local fishermen have an intimate knowledge of the location, timing and duration
of spawning aggregations on their home reefs. Participation in the live fishery was an opportunity to earn a
much-desired income.
Inspection of net cages at this location, as at others in Raja Ampat during this REA, revealed a moderate
number of female coral trout Plectropomus leopardus and a small number of juvenile Napoleon wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus. There were no rock cods. There were no large (male) groupers evident in any holding
facility and there were only rare in situ sightings of groupers by the marine team. The relative scarcity of
these reef predators, particularly the absence of males, is a sign of overfishing. Moreover, the scarcity of
breeding males undermines the viability of spawning aggregations. Overfishing has been implicated in the
disappearance of spawning aggregations throughout the world (e.g. Colin, 1992; Aquilar-Perera and Aguilar-
Davila, 1996; Domeier and Colin, 1997). Johannes et al. (1999) listed five locations where grouper stocks
had been eliminated as a result of fishing spawning aggregations. These aggregations were intensively
targeted using hook and line.
Napoleon wrasse is a slow growing, long-lived species with a low replacement capacity. Consequently, the
species is highly vulnerable to overexploitation (Sadovy, 1997). They often exhibit shy behavior and are
known to be difficult to catch using a hook and line. Johannes and Riepen (1995) explained that these large
fish rove across the reefs by day and sleep in reef caves and under coral ledges at night. Consequently, they
are easy targets for divers, particularly at night, even without using cyanide. It is suspected that the majority
of Napoleon wrasse caught in Raja Ampat for the live fish trade is caught using potassium cyanide.
Enforcement of the trade ban on this species is clearly non-existent.
Interviews in Selpele, western Waigeo, indicated that the best time of the year to catch live fish trade target
species was January and February. The catch could weigh up to 500kg, with about 50kg of mamen/mulut
tikus and 450kg of tongseng and geha provided by 40 fishermen. Prices paid to fishermen are listed in Table
9. Given that the Napoleon wrasse were all juvenile and the coral trout female, it can be estimated that the
gross earnings for Selpele fishermen from the live fish trade, concentrated in January and February, is less
than Rp25,000,000 or about Rp580,000 per fishermen. This income is supplementary at best and clearly a
fraction of the earnings that would have been garnered at the height of the trade. Since the establishment of a
pearl farm by PT Cendana IndoPearl, the number of Selpele villagers involved in the live fish trade is
significantly reduced.
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