The sun was still high in the sky as we made our way to the first lift
net boat. The fishers, who had been resting after nights of fishing,
indicated that there was indeed a whale shark swimming under their
platform and got a few bags of small anchovies to feed the whale shark
as we plunged into the water.
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| Lida swimming with Whale Shark in Papua |
The whale shark was not bothered at all while we took many pictures
and swam slowly with it. Our local WWF team, led by Benny Noor, related
how the presence of whale sharks in the Cendrawasih National Park had
generated a lot of international attention recently. Cassandra Tania –
WWF monitoring officer – explained how the collaboration with renowned
whale shark scientist Brent Steward of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research
Institute, San Diego, is helping the national park authorities determine
how best to protect the whale sharks and manage tourism activities that
have sprung up in the past year.
The hype around the possibility of swimming or diving with whale
sharks affected me a year ago, when I received a very angry email from a
concerned foreign tourist, demanding that WWF immediately step in to
protect whale sharks and ensure that whale sharks would not be hurt by
the locals and that guests traveling to the area via “live aboard” boats
could enjoy encounters with these gentle giants in a well-organized
manner.
My local WWF colleagues had been facilitating the resolution of a
conflict between the lift net fishers, the communities living in the
area, and the live aboard dive operators who had started to give the
lift net fishers money in order for tourists to swim around their
platforms.
One community member had threatened to kill the whale sharks because
the economic benefits of the tourism activities were not being shared
with his community—the rightful “owners” of the area where the lift net
fishers (mostly temporary fishers from Sulawesi several miles away)
operated. The angry community member felt that if his community would
not benefit from the whale sharks, then no one else should.
Now that the conflict has been resolved, it continues to be the park
authority’s responsibility to make sure that the whale sharks are
treated well and protected. The research that was initiated to understand the migration patterns
of whale sharks and our observer program, which will generate
information on the impact of the lift net fishery on the abundance of
whale shark food (anchovies), will be key to the effective protection of
these gentle giants of the ocean. Nonetheless, the lift net fishers and
community members have an important role to play too.
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| Local community conservation group in Cendrawasih National Park |
The fact that Papuan communities abide by strong traditional tenure
regulations known as hak ulayat is both a promise and a challenge for
effective management of fishing and conservation activities in the
national park. This was illustrated rather directly, as we got stuck on
the way to the whale sharks earlier in the week. The airport of
Manokwari was closed over a community conflict related to the new
expansion of the airport building and its facilities. With a three-hour
delay, we eventually arrived at our destination, but only because the
local government had to agree to pay the local community that owns the
land around the airport the requested amount of approximately half a
million US dollars. Having paid 20% of it to open up the airport again,
the government now faces tough negotiations for the remaining request.
The amount does not seem commensurate to the small size of the land
needed.
This example illustrates to me how important it is to invest in
outreach and education especially among the young Papuan generation. If
we start putting a cash value on everything that falls under the hak
ulayat tenure scheme, there may be no end to the payments. A developing
understanding of the importance of sustainable fishing and a resulting
local stewardship that incorporates right-based management with full
protection of areas for endangered wild life and fisheries replenishment
will be the hope for a future where people in Papua will continue to
benefit from the riches that their fascinating land and waters
encompass.
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| Two whale sharks looking for an easy meal under a fish liftnet platform in Papua, Indonesia |
As my camera runs out of battery after shooting so many photos of the
beautiful whale sharks, I reflect that these whale sharks are here only
because they get an easy fill of small fish. For the long term,
however, as for the coastal communities throughout the Coral Triangle,
we must get better now at collaborative management for the
sustainability of fish populations. With a growing need for seafood, unfortunately, there are no quick fixes.
Source: nationalgeographic.com
