Sumatran Indigenous seafarers run aground by overfishing and mangrove loss

Sumatran Indigenous seafarers run aground by overfishing and mangrove loss

Source: mongabay

10/23/2023

Credit: Tonggo Simangunsong

Many among Indonesia’s Duano Indigenous community have hung up their fishing nets in response to recent environmental and economic shifts.
A study published in October found that intact mangroves were associated with up to a 28% increase in fish and shellfish consumption among coastal communities.
Duano elders say young people from the community are increasingly retiring from the community’s traditional livelihood to take up poorly paid casual work.

For generations, the seafaring Duano Indigenous community in Indonesia’s Riau province has relied on paddles and basic nets for their livelihood, launching small boats into healthy fishing grounds off the eastern coast of Sumatra.