Shells Started to Disappear, Fishermen Start Searching for Sea Cucumbers

This article is part of the #PelangiDiLautan : Welfare program for smiles at sea

This program is a collaboration between several blockchain-based companies to introduce and explore sea cucumbers more broadly, improve the standard of living and welfare of fishermen, and commit to realize a better economic ecosystem.

The writings in the #PelangiDiLautan program are inspired by the experience carried out in the Saumlaki area, West Southeast Maluku. However, some characters, characters, events, locations and dialogues are fiction and are arranged dramatically to make it more interesting. If there are similarities in the names of characters, places of events or stories, it is merely a coincidence and there is no element of intent

That afternoon, Mamik Slamet (40), landed his boat at the port of the Fish Auction Place (TPI), Randuboto Village, Sidayu District, Gresik Regency, East Java. The traditional boat is 9 meters long, 2 meters wide, is used by local fishermen to look for species of sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers are Holothuroidea invertebrates or animals that do not have a backbone, can be consumed, can even be used as medicine. Local residents called it Blonyo, has a kind of yellow color, slimy and resembles a giant maggot.

“Almost every day I look for Blonyo, except on Sundays I don’t go to sea,” said Slamet.

He told me to look for animals that can be found starting from the tidal zone to the deep sea, he must travel 10 kilometers from the mainland by boat. Slamet said to find this sea cucumber, it starting from the morning before sunrise, or at dawn around 05:00 WIB until around 12.00 WIB then returned to the mainland, passing through the Bengawan Solo river, where the Fish Auction. Within a day he claimed to be able to bring three quintal sea cucumbers from the Java Sea waters.

At the auction site, there were already wives waiting to help clean up these invertebrates before they were sold to collectors in the local area. Slamet is one of the dozens of fishermen who depend on their lives looking for sea cucumbers from the north coast sea of ​​Gresik. In addition to sea cucumbers, there are also local fishermen who are looking for fish, crabs, and shellfish. The fisherman lands his boat at the Fish Auction Place (TPI) of Randuboto Village, Sidayu District, Gresik Regency, East Java.

Located on the coast of the Java Sea, Gresik and its surroundings, including areas with an abundance of all marine products, one of which is sea cucumbers. Ivul, the wife of a local fisherman, said to look for animals which are also known as sea cucumbers, he said there is no seasonal. Every day there is always someone looking for at sea, and have never had difficulties, even during the rainy season. Because he considers, for this sea cucumber is relatively large compared to shellfish that are seasonal.

For this reason, in meeting their daily needs, fishermen who initially look for shellfish, then turn to look for sea cucumbers. Besides being easy to get and not knowing the season, the price can also be said to be stable. If sea cucumbers are small it cost  Rp.350rb / kg is valued from fishermen. For the large size can be valued Rp. 4 million / kg.

“Later, from collectors, they say they will be sent to Semarang, Gresik City, and Surabaya,” Ivul said while cleaning sea cucumber dirt one by one. To clean it, he only uses a razor blade.

The sun was rising, the fishermen one by one began to arrive. Occasionally, Ivul greets his partner who comes, then his hands again deftly take sea cucumbers from the boat by using a basin basket to be removed to the surface of the boat, so that the splitting process is easier. One by one the sea cucumbers are split, within a period of two hours, as many as 3 quintals of sea cucumber her husband’s catch has been cleaned. The next process, from the sea cucumber boat and then put in blue plastic jerry cans, then lifted to the cart to be delivered to the middleman.

In contrast to Slamet, who has worked as a fisherman for decades looking for sea cucumbers. Ivul’s husband, he said, had only been looking for sea cucumbers for about 5 years, initially, he only looked for shellfish. Over time, the presence of shellfish is increasingly difficult. Besides that, it is also seasonal. So that her husband is now more focused looking for sea cucumbers.

For the process of searching for sea cucumbers while at sea, Slamet tells, arrived at the location where many cucumbers are found under the sea. Then he threw a tool with a depth of 4 meters, the tool Local people call it a kerit, with a fabric of 18 stainless steel rods similar to a hook arranged in a row like a bent fork. After that, the tool is pulled up, do it many times. Once leaving, Slamet claimed he only needed five liters of diesel, at a cost of Rp. 30 thousand.

“One way, the average sale yield is Rp. 300 thousand, the search is half a day. “For the market, there are already accommodating themselves, he said processed into snacks in the form of crackers,” he said.

Observing where the sea cucumbers gather so that the harvest can be more abundant, fishermen work together with Ledgernow, they consider Ledgernow has an important role in the process of finding abundant harvests, helping the processing process so that the sea cucumbers produced have the best quality with modern technology to help fishermen clean up sea cucumbers more easily. For more details, click the following link https://www.ledgernow.com/

Researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ Oceanography Research Center (LIPI), Ratih Pangestuti explained, sea cucumbers have the potential to be developed as an anti-cancer drug. This animal is considered active as an anticancer of breast and ovarian cancer. According to him, LIPI is committed to researching and developing active ingredients from marine organisms as anti-cancer agents, and also food used to prevent cancer.

The food concept mentioned is the food component that serves to improve the condition of the body’s resistance and reduce the risk of contracting various diseases, including cancer. With AELL we can interact directly with doctors so as not to contract cancer that can damage our bodies, especially fishermen who play an important role in finding sea cucumbers in the sea. AELL can also provide medical records, so we can monitor how our own body’s health. For more about AELL, click the following link https://www.aell.co/