North Maluku Fishers: Battling at Sea, Stumbling on Land
- August 13, 2025
by Putra Satria Timur, Marwan Adam
Ternate, North Maluku–Under the glare of the tropical sun and on waves that refuse to play gentle, North Maluku’s fishers fight more than the sea. On land, they battle a fuel distribution system riddled with inefficiencies and an export certification process increasingly hostile to small-scale players.
Those frustrations spilled into the 13th meeting of the Tuna Fisheries Co-Management Committee (FCMC) at the meeting hall of Ternate’s National Fishing Port on April 29, 2025. In the forum, fisher voices distilled into two urgent concerns: subsidized fuel that rarely reaches them, and export certification procedures that leave small-scale fishers stranded on the margins.
Choked by Intricate Procedure and Quota
For fishers, fuel is lifeblood. Without diesel or subsidized fuel, vessels remain moored and hooks stay dry. Yet in the past three years, only a third of the 2.2 million kilolitres of subsidized fuel allocated for fisheries has actually reached their hands.
“I brought the government recommendation letter to the gas station, but still had to buy Pertamax for half of my needs,” complains La Yamin, a fisher from Sanana. Pertamax is far more expensive, and what he truly needs is the subsidized Pertalite.
The same frustration runs through the words of Gafur Kaboli, who manages the Bubula Ma Cahaya Cooperative in Jambula. His monthly quota is 13 tonnes, but deliveries often arrive just once or twice a month. “Our needs are four times that amount,” he says.
Read also: On Quota-Based Policy Forum: MDPI Amplifies Small-Scale Fishers’ Voices in Makassar
In East Makassar Village, Ternate, Abdullah Usman tells a similar story. In South Halmahera’s Jikotamo, fisher Lasipu says his village almost never receives subsidised fuel at all. Outreach on the issue, he adds, is virtually non-existent.
Bureaucracy Without Breakthroughs
The distribution mess is only part of the problem. Efforts to expand the network of Fisher-Dedicated Gas Stations are stalled by what officials describe as Pertamina’s overly complicated requirements. Head of Marine and Fisheries Agency North Maluku suggests that alternative distribution channels should be given easier permits. “Without a breakthrough, fishers will keep gasping for air,” he warns.
Anwar Rofiq, a coordinator from the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas), admits the need for cross-agency cooperation—from local governments to Pertamina to the fishers themselves. But concrete follow-up remains elusive.
Certification: Small-Scale Fishers Overlooked
Another battle that fishers face is certification. The government’s Catch Certificate (SHTI), a key document for accessing export markets, has become another hurdle. The simplified version of the certification (SHTI-LTS) was designed to ease the process for small-scale fishers, but in practice remains anything but simple.
Wilson of PT Harta Samudra notes that certification runs smoothly in Morotai. But for fishers outside official ports, especially those scattered across small islands, the obstacles pile up: inadequate infrastructure, weak internet connections, and little understanding of the process.
Kamarudin, head of PPN Ternate, stresses that SHTI is crucial to proving the legality and traceability of catches. “Without it, our fish can be branded illegal in the eyes of the world,” he says.
Recommendations in Limbo
The meeting produced a familiar list of recommendations: socialization and assistance for fuel recommendation procedures, a reporting system for misuse, and annual evaluations of subsidized fuel distribution.
On certification, the forum called for stronger logbook data, clearer vessel legality, and simpler technical guidelines for small-scale fishers. Trial runs of SHTI for non-port fishers were also deemed essential.
Read also: MDPI Trains 13 NGOs to Support Fishing Families
But, as is often the case, such recommendations risk dying in the meeting room, while small-scale fishers keep going to sea—hope wearing thin under the weight of rising costs and policies that fail to protect them.
A Voice That Must Be Heard
The voices of North Maluku’s small-scale fishers have echoed across the forum floor. But echoes alone cannot move boats—or overhaul a broken system. Real change will require political will and a clear bias towards those whose lives depend on the sea, ensuring that the waters they cherish remain abundant for generations to come.
