By Leyla Alyanak*
Bali's fishermen have traditionally slaughtered green turtles for religious
ceremonies. But now that WWF has warned of the danger to the species
this represents, the fishing communities are beginning to change their
ways.
Perancak, Bali: More green turtles are killed in Bali than anywhere else
on earth. That is because they play a key role in the rites of Hinduism -
the predominant religion of the island.For centuries fishermen have set
sail in narrow vessels known as jukungs, with a Hindu god on their
prows for protection, catching the turtles with hand-held spears.
"There were so many turtles, we just had to lean over the boat to spear
them," said Wayan Tirha who fished the waters along the western coast
for more than 40 years.
These old, cumbersome fishing methods meant few turtles were caught
- an average day would yield five or six, which were divided among a
dozen fishermen. But with modern techniques, the old, sustainable ways
were overtaken by mass slaughter. The number of green turtles
plummeted, and fishermen were hard pressed to catch one or two a
week.
"With our net, which was 1,000 metres long, we could catch up to 90
turtles at a time," says Wayan. "Now they have all disappeared to the
bottom because there was too much disturbance."
Ketut Sarjana Putra, a marine biologist with WWF-Worldwide Fund For
Nature in Bali, points out that Indonesia has six species of turtle, but only
five are protected. Green turtles were not considered endangered, so
fishermen were free to catch as many as they could.
The green turtle was subsequently over-fished, and the crisis prompted
WWF, along with Indonesian conservation authorities, to look for ways
of keeping the number of green turtles from falling further without
destroying local religious and cultural customs.
"The first thing we did was to talk to religious leaders," says Putra. "We
were relieved to learn that turtle meat was not indispensable to religious
ceremonies. Other meats, such as duck, could be used instead."
Having established that there were alternatives to turtle meat, they
gathered village leaders to explain the plight of the green turtle, and to
ask for their help in saving the animal. "They went back to their villages
and passed on the word," says Putra.
Convincing the coastal villagers to change the customs of generations
will not be easy. But the conservationists are working with local
communities to get the message across.
"We have something called drama gong, a kind of village play with many
actors and musicians," says Putra. "The plays are about good and evil,
and take scenes from everyday life. We have written a story about turtle
fishing."
Other cultural forms such as sendratari (classical dance), tari topeng
(mask dance) or wayang kulit (puppet shows) will help to spread the
word.
Each year 5,000 green turtles can be traded legally in Bali. The
government has recommended the figure be lowered to 3,000, but WWF
feels the new quota cannot be enforced because it is not legally binding.
Wayan has given up fishing for a living, and he now works for the
booming tourist industry. He also helps WWF by watching the green
turtle trade at Benoa, Bali's main port. Fishermen throughout the island
bring their turtles here to sell, and he sees that the quotas are not
exceeded.
Not all fishermen, however, find it easy to maintain their livelihood now
that the number of hunted turtles has been reduced.
"Until fishermen can find ways of replacing the money lost from turtles, it
will be hard to make them change," says Putra. Part of WWF's turtle
protection efforts will be aimed at helping fishermen to find other sources
of income.
Green turtles still line the back streets of Benoa, their shells
listening in the sun. But where once there were hundreds, today there are only a few.
*Leyla Alyanak is a freelance journalist based in Switzerland