Fisheries in the West Coast of Aceh - In search of a balance development

The economic and social development of Aceh has been to a greater extent dependent on the coastal and marine resources of the province. Fish and fisheries is no exception – as they continue to play an important role in the lives of Acehnese. Economically, in 2003, fisheries contributed to almost 3 percent of Aceh’s GDP, while 16 percent of the coastal community depended on fisheries for livelihood and fish dietary consisted over 50 percent of their total animal protein intake (MMAF, 2006). It is highly likely, that the pre-tsunami heavy reliance on the coastal resources have led to over fishing and the practice of unsustainable fishing methods to harvest the declining resources (Pomeroy at.al, 2006). Hence, the current post tsunami fisheries rehabilitation efforts should not only focus on replacing the damaged or destroyed fishing equipment and facilities but in the longer term, must find a balance development between managing the coastal fisheries resources sustainably while ensuring the economic well-being of the fishing communities along the tsunami ravaged coast of Aceh. The WorldFish Center conducted a series of appraisals through two of the WorldFish led projects2, with the aim of assessing the status of existing and on-going post-tsunami fisheries rehabilitation efforts in the West Coast of Aceh. The West Coast was identified as the focal area owing to the severe destruction on its coastal resources caused by the tsunami. The goal was to identify if the development of the post tsunami fisheries sector meets the expectations of the people affected. Such development opportunities must be able to bring direct benefits to poor people, whose poverty and lack of power put them at a relative disadvantage when disaster strikes.This bulletin presents some of the main findings of the appraisals conducted in twelve coastal fishing villages on the west coast of Aceh. The appraisals were structured using a combination of focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Other form of data collection included reconnaissance surveys and in-depth literature reviews on the condition of the fisheries resources before tsunami. The fieldworkwas carried out between December 2005 and August 2006.

---

• View source