High Waves, Hundreds Of Fishermen On The South Coast Of Cianjur Stop At Sea

PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

CIANJUR - At least 700 fishermen on the southern coast of Cianjur, West Java, were forced to stop fishing because of high waves that could threaten their lives. They again lost their income even though it was the fishing season.

"It's been almost a week, the waves are high, so fishermen can't go to sea because it can threaten the safety of their lives. After only a few weeks at sea, it's been hampered again due to natural factors", said Asep, chairman of the Cidaun Farmers and Fishermen Group, quoted by Antara, Monday, August 2.

He explained that this year's wave has had quite an impact on activities on the south coast, especially for fishermen, including shop owners who are just planning to re-open their business after PPKM (Restrictions on Community Activities) in the hope that tourists will come back.

However, this plan was hampered by waves reaching 7 meters per day, even at night, the wave heights could reach dozens of meters so that fishing activities that had only been a few weeks stopped again.

"Since the last month, fishing activities have increased again because the waves are friendly, so the catch has increased. Fishermen have returned to their income after almost a year, not going to sea", he said.

During the sea, fishermen can bring money up to hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah, when the catch is abundant. Even buyers, who had been having difficulty getting supplies, started waiting on the shore to buy fish.

"We hope that the waves will pass quickly, so we can return to the sea because most fishermen do not have other skills. We also hope to receive training and other skills from the government", he said.

The regent of Cianjur, Herman Suherman, promised to provide training for fishermen on the south coast, so that they can still earn income during the lean season or high waves, including providing soft loans for fishermen to switch to fish farming.

"We have coordinated cross-services, to help various residents' complaints, including fishermen on the south coast. They must have other skills, so they can still have income when they are not fishing", he said.