Bounty in the Sea: Banten Fishermen Haul In 3 Times More Fish, You Won't Believe What They're Catching!
illustration of fishermen from Lebak Banten
FOKUS BANTEN NEWS - Fishermen catches in the southern sea of Lebak Regency, Banten, have increased in recent months. This is due to normal weather conditions in the waters and an increase in the population of various types of fish, large and small.
Ujang (45), a fisherman at the Tanjung Panto Fish Auction Site (TPI) in Lebak Regency, said that his catches had increased from one quintal to three quintals.
"We can now go out to sea twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon, because the catches are good," he said.
Tamrin (45), a traditional fisherman at the Bayah TPI, said that he could now catch up to 1.5 quintals of fish in a single day, up from 50 kilograms previously.
"We are very grateful for the increase in our catches," he said. "Our family's income has improved."
Rizal Ardiansyah, Head of the Fisheries Capture Management Division of the Lebak Regency Fisheries Department, said that catches have been increasing for the past four months.
"The types of fish that are abundant include tuna, skipjack, layur, tenggiri, marlin, wahoo, sardines, barracuda, and tuna," he said.
The weight of tuna fish can reach 60 kilograms per fish, because its habitat is in the southern sea of Lebak Regency or the Indian Ocean.
In addition to being sold fresh, the fish is also used as raw material for various processed fish products, such as abon ikan (fish floss), kerupuk ikan (fish crackers), and baso ikan (fish balls).
The value of fish auction transactions is estimated to have increased from Rp6 billion per month to Rp10 billion per month.
"We believe that the increase in catches will improve the welfare of the coastal communities of the southern sea of Lebak," Ardiansyah said.