ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS

1. What is an alternative livelihood?
An alternative livelihood provides local communities, who are involved in
unsustainable resource utilization, with a sustainable livelihood. This
sustainable livelihood must be profitable, not harmful to the environment,
and should be able to continue for a long period of time. People who take
part in activities that destroy the environment, such as blast fishing or reef
gleaning, need to switch to an alternative livelihood before there is nothing
left for future generations to use and enjoy.
2. What kind of alternative livelihoods are being developed in
Komodo National Park?
Pelagic fisheries, seaweed culture and grouper mariculture are three
profitable alternative livelihood programs that are being introduced to
residents in and around Komodo National Park.
3.1: Pelagic Fisheries
1. What is pelagic fisheries?
Pelagic fisheries is the capture of fishes that live in the open ocean, such as
schools of tuna and mackrel.
2. Why is pelagic fisheries a good alternative livelihood in Komodo
National Park?
Not only are pelagic fishes abundant in the waters around Komodo National
Park, but they also have a relatively high market value, especially when kept
fresh on ice and exported to markets in Bali or major cities in Indonesia. As
traditional means of pelagic fishing can only exploit a small portion of these
oceanic species, over-exploitation is less likely to occur compared to reef
fishing.
3. What other income can local villagers create from pelagic fisheries?
Pelagic fishes can be processed in several traditional ways and sold to
markets. Some examples are: steamed tuna (ikan pindang), fish balls, dried
fish, smoked fish and fish floss (abon).
4. How do traditional fishermen catch pelagic fish?
There are many ways to catch pelagic fish. Fishermen can use a hook and
line lowered from a still boat using dead or live fish as bait. Or, they can drag
a hook and line from behind a moving boat using real fish as bait. Some
fishermen attract pelagic fish by using strips of plastic that look like squid, or
shiny metal objects that resemble small silverfish. Others use fish aggregating
devices (FADs).
5. What is a fish aggregation device (FAD?)
A fish aggregation device is any solid object that floats in the water.
Fishermen anchor FADs in deep water to attract large schools of fish so they
are easy to catch with hook and line or nets.