Traditional management practices and the conservation of the gastropod (Trochus nilitocus) and fish stocks in the Maluku Province (eastern Indonesia)

doi:10.1016/S0165-7836(97)00011-8

Fisheries Research

Volume 31, Issues 1–2, July 1997, Pages 83-91

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-7836(97)00011-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Some coastal villages in Maluku manage marine resources by the system of sasi, whereby stocks are harvested during limited open seasons only. These are determined by the leaders of the community. Sasi is strictly observed in exploiting stocks of the gastropod Trochus nilitocus in the Kei islands and other parts of Southeast Maluku. Harvests have not declined during the past 8 or so years (as long as detailed records have been kept). There were nevertheless especially large harvests at some villages on Kei Besar in 1994, and these may be the first indication of overexploitation of stocks. In Central Maluku sasi was observed in managing trochus stocks at Nolloth village on Saparua. It was operated by two villages only on Ambon (n = 15) in relation to fin fish. Stocks of trochus and fish have declined in coastal waters of Saparua and Ambon during the past decade. These declines are probably related to anthropogenic impacts. These may include increased pressure on fish stocks due to: increases in human populations in coastal villages, fall in the value of terrestrial crops, changes in fishing practices, the need for fishermen to increase their incomes in order to pay-off loans, degradation of coastal habitats and non-observance of sasi.

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Citation Excerpt :
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Fisheries Research

Abstract

References (9)

Domestic waste and TBT pollution in coastal areas of Ambon Island (eastern Indonesia)

Mar. Pollut. Bull.

Sebaran geografis, habitat dan perikanan lola (Trochus niloticus) di Maluku

Reef and lagoon tenure systems in Pacific islands

South Pac. Bull.

Traditional conservation methods and protected marine areas in Oceania

Ambio

Cited by (26)

Benefits of collaboration between indigenous fishery management and data-driven spatial planning approaches: the case of a Polynesian traditional design (rāhui)

Marine conservation beyond MPAs: Towards the recognition of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in Indonesia

Marine ethnobiology a rather neglected area, which can provide an important contribution to ocean and coastal management

Sustaining small-scale fisheries with periodically harvested marine reserves

Integrating customary management into marine conservation

How the uncertain outcomes associated with aquatic and land resource use affect livelihood strategies in coastal communities in the Central Moluccas, Indonesia