Background

Coastal resource management, community empowerment and socio economic development are the cornerstones for uplifting the lives of coastal area inhabitants. In Indonesia, livelihood development strategies established by the government in coastal communities are supposed to encourage and improve participation of coastal communities in diversified fisheries livelihood activities. These livelihood development and community empowerment activities are assisting to determine the success or failure of poverty reduction effort in the coastal areas.

Economic pressure to coastal resources has encouraged coastal communities to adopt pragmatic steps in coastal utilization and participation in government projects. The economic empowerment of coastal communities has always been an integral part of coastal management projects implemented by the central government through various local governments. Failed projects related to coastal resource management can be traced to the lack of attention on the development of local resource-based economy. This condition also leads to changes in the social structure and economic environment as a result of the community response to development in coastal areas. Participation of women in economic activity may provide them a role in the exploitation of coastal resources and business diversification.

Japan was succeed to empowered economy of coastal community by diversify coastal and fisheries livelihoods. Empowering woman in fisheries activity including processing activity and diversify the fisheries products were most key point on their successful. The success story of The Government of Japan to empower the people in coastal area might be lessons for The Government of Indonesia (GoI) to find out the solutions for many problems in coastal community empowerment, including their strategies. Even though the socio economics characteristics are different between both countries, Indonesia might be learning the Japanese strategy on diversification, community empowerment, marketing, and technology innovation.

Fisheries resources provide one of the most important sources of support for millions of coastal inhabitants in Indonesia. People in coastal area are still heavily dependent on coastal resources. Alternative livelihoods development in Indonesian fishing communities may have starting point under the whole economic development in the region, which is needed to pay serious attention as a main point. There have been drastic changes in the last decade. Fishing communities are also required to improve their motivation and effort to adapt to any changeable environment that may negatively impact on society and the economy, especially for small-scale fishermen who will get the most direct impact.

Many efforts have been done by the Government of Indonesia to reduce the poverty during last two decades particularly in coastal community, but people who live in coastal areas are living under the poverty and are considered as very high rate (approximately 32 % of 16.4 million). Fishermen cannot be easily persuaded to go into such a diversification of their livelihood. In the case of a newly introduced livelihood that is considerably capital-intensive, the small-scale fishers could hardly start without any support. However, productivity-based fisheries development has contributed to various problems of social, economic and environmental nature as well as poverty, over fishing, and mismanagement problems at the local level.

Most of Indonesian coastal community has high dependency on the government project and donors. Technology innovation (applied technology) for fisheries livelihood diversification (processed products) has also difficult to developed and improved. They do not have a vision to make themselves independence on developing Small Scale Entrepreneur (SME) by supporting the governmental projects. It is because fishermen or families might be choosing the activities in order to support leaving from the (capture) fishery and reduce the dependence of household economy on capture fishery activity, considering those resource is becoming more uncertainly.

Therefore, this study has four main objectives; 1) to explore Japanese experiences on coastal resources management. 2) to assess the fishing activity in case study area of Hiroshima, 3) to describe livelihood strategy in coastal fishery of case study area of Hiroshima.

1 Materials and Methods

1.1 Study area

Survey in Japan conducted Akitsu Cho (town), Higashi Hiroshima Shi (city), Hiroshima Prefecture (province). Capture fisheries and aquaculture (mariculture) activities are conducted as a income sources in this area. Akitsu town is located in Toyota District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The total area was 65.08 km² with an estimated population of 12,023 or a density was 184.74 persons per km² (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Research location in Akitsu Town, Higashi Hiroshima, Japan

1.2 Data collection

Primary data was collected by conducting desk study and field survey. Interviews were basically conducted in-depth and face-to-face interviews by using semi structure interview. Group discussions will also design to explore the perceptions of respondents. Respondent would be will select by using purposive random sampling method to fisheries officers, collector/traders, processing companies and woman/fishermen’s wife. Secondary data will collect from research institutes, universities, statistics data, published books, scientific journals and other resources which are related to the research topic.

2.2 Small-scale trawl fisheries (sokobikiami) in Akitsu

Figure 3 Shrimp trawl and fishing boat in Akitsu

The machine they use is 15 PK and boat weigh is 4.6 GT. The total of trawls in Akitsu is decreasing along with the aging fisherman. This operation of boat using trawl fishing gear occur day and night (one-day trip), starts at 07.00 (morning) up to 16.00 or 17.00 (evening) (afternoon operation). Then, the trawl boat that operated at night starts at 16.00 until 04.00 (morning). The distance taken to reach the fishing group is 1 hour (the farthest) and 30 minutes up to 40 minutes (the nearest). They set the fishing gear or catch the fishes for 4 (four) times (Figure 4).

The procurement of boat, machine, and fishing gear can be via direct purchase with initial capital of 15 million. The capital can be borrowed from the cooperation and returned within 9 years. The respondents, namely Sikasima-(77 years old) and Mitsumoto-(77 years old), state that they will continue catching the fishes by boat or if the machine is damaged”. This is because they do not want to buy a new boat or machine due to the expensive price, they don’t want to borrow more money, and age factor.

The problems faced related to the sustainability of fishing activities in Akitsu are the decreased catch, initial investment, and regeneration of the fishing activities itself. Previously, upwelling is also a constraint at every transition of season. Meanwhile, factors such as fish price, government policy, law enforcement, water pollution, infrastructure and conflict are not considered as problems in catching fish by using trawl.

Most fisheries management case studies in Japan shows that after local fishermen experiences resource collapses, they change their approach and implemented strict management measures. They change or improved their management while the resource level was still recoverable. Natural science was a major catalyst for this change, since fishers are not always aware of the full ecological picture. Adoption of good management for one resource can increase overall economic resilience to sudden collapses in other resource levels. There are many types and form of co-management regimes, i.e from instructive and consultative to informative (Berkes, 1994), or government-based, market-based or community-based (Copes and Charles, 2004). Each co-management regimes has specific features as to role sharing among relevant actors. Local fishermen are a key a player and autonomously manage in sedentary species management. But, in term of high migratory species, the government is a central for management measure.

2.3 Adaptation strategy for livelihoods

Coastal fisheries in Asia need relevant strategies to ensure future fish production and to improve the livelihoods or standard of living of coastal communities (Hurtado and Agbayani, 2002; Munoz et al., 2004; Stobutzki et al., 2006). A number of fishermen in Japan are aging steadily and decreased in every year. Meanwhile, young people escape from the fishery communities to work in the cities and aging people remain in fishery community (Takezawa et al., 2004). This problem is true and fact in shrimp trawl fishery (Sokobikiami) in Akitsu. Fisherman (owner) also takes the role as captain and the crew is his own wife. They do not have future successors due to their children in average 2-3 children per fisherman have lived with their own family and no longer stay in one house or one area with their parents. Fishermen don’t need to catch fishes when the wife is sick or absent.

In Japan, women in fishing communities are engaged in various types of works. In some areas, they are engaged in fishing activities themselves together with their family members. In many other areas, women are engaged in sorting of fish by species and by size, after landing, and prepare for shipping the products by putting ice in the fish box. They are also active in clean the environment campaign, planting trees on the mountain and so on.

Women play double roles in productive activity and domestic (household) activity. The productive activity means includes pre and post-harvest, processing and marketing (Bennet, 2005). According to Zamroni and Yamao (2012), the roles of women in fisheries activity have a positive contribution to household and economic improvement and fisheries resources management. Housewives in Japan are traditionally the manager of family’s finance. In FCA, women’s group member keeps their books, and on the basis of this give advises on fishing business management matters, fishery insurance, life insurance and thus play an important role in helping improve management of fishing households, particularly in small scale coastal fisheries sector. As long as one group member is aware of empowering with others, co-management will be sustainable and co-management must be pursued in relation with other efforts to build the society (Jentoft, 2005).

Beside capture fisheries in the pass, fishermen in Akitsu Cho conducting oyster farming in coastal area within 10 meter indepth. Oyster farmers are usually get 20 ton/crop in average of each farmer with the pricing JPY 1,100/kg. In Akitsu, there are nine oyster farmers that divided into two categories; 1) two of them are farmer and as a trader. 2) The rest are only doing as a farmer. This farmer have production value is about JPY 80 Million to JPY 100 M per year of each farmer. This kind of business could overcome the problem on successor in fisheries activity of Akitsu. Local government as well as central government can develop the cultivation of oyster that already exists in Akitsu Area to overcome the problem of no successor for trawl fishermen. Oyster is becoming the flagship product in Hiroshima Prefecture still has a good market prospect, although high financial capital is required to develop them. Government can provide incentives or subsidies to encourage young people back to the area to pursue this business. However, fishers as individuals should undertake adaptation measures to respond to any changes in the situations (Grafton, 2010; Badjeck et al., 2009).

3 Discussion

Japan has many years’ experiences to manage coastal fishery in effective and sustainable ways using community-based coastal fishery management and co-management approach. The concept of fisheries management in Japan is originally seen from the customary management practices in fishing community since the feudal regime, which is coastal community put as a key element by giving some responsibility and authority in management matter. Represented institution such as cooperative (i.e. Fisheries Cooperative Associations-FCAs) and other fishing right are success story of coastal fisheries management tools in Japan and has been practiced until to date. FCAs have a three tiers structure namely, 1) FCAs at local level, 2) prefectural federations of FCAs at prefectural (provincial) level, and 3) a national federation of FCAs at national level. In Japan, fishing right is divided into three categories, namely; 1) common fishing right, 2) Large set fishing right and 3) demarcated fishing right. Japan has also fisheries management (FMOs) who represented co-management practices, and about 95% of FMOs are operated by FCA or affiliated organization.

In case study of coastal fishery activity, shrimp-trawl fishery in Akitsu has been manage by FCA, even the number of fishermen and their activity gradually decrease. The trawl fishing gear in Akitsu is being used to catch shrimp and abalone, depends on the season in a year, which is 3 (three) boats specialized catch these both species during one year (January-April (abalone) and May-December (shrimp)). However, the problems faced related to the sustainability of fishing activities in Akitsu are related to the decreased catch, initial investment, and regeneration of the fishing activities itself. Previously, upwelling is also a constraint at every transition of season. Meanwhile, factors such as fish price, government policy, law enforcement, water pollution, infrastructure and conflict are not considered as problems in catching fish by using trawl.

A number of fishermen in Japan are aging steadily and decreased in every year. In fact, young people escape from the fishery communities to work in the cities and aging people remain in fishery community. This condition represents in shrimp-trawl fishery (Sokobikiami) in Akitsu, which fisherman (owner) as a captain working his wife as a crew. They do not have future successors in this activity. One of solution is fishermen and their family can do rely on pension fund scheme for continue their life, but it is not secure enough for another activity. Existing oyster culture business in Akitsu may overcome no successor problem, which women could involve in this activity. Local government as well as central government can develop the cultivation of oyster is becoming the flagship product in Hiroshima Prefecture still has a good market prospect, although high financial capital is required to develop them. Government can provide incentives or subsidies to encourage young people back to the area to pursue this business. Indonesia could adopt the strategies on institutional strengthening for coastal fisheries resources management and coastal economy to achieve the sustainable coastal community livelihoods.

Authors’ contributions

AZ designed and conducted research, collected primary and secondary data, analyzed, review and intepretation. AZ is also arranged all things to completed this paper.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to express his deepest thanks to Professor Masahiro Yamao (Hiroshima University, Japan) for his constructive advises. The special thanks would like also convey to Dr. Michiko Amano (Hiroshima University, Japan) for joining field survey and valuable discussions; Dr. Mitsutaku Makino (Fisheries Research Agency, Japan) for sharing and interesting discussions. All Japanese respondents who share important information during field survey.

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