Pasar ikan

If you go down to the fish market (pasar ikan) today, you're sure of a big surprise.

Dan and I were horrified to see manta ray fins for sale. Mantas are protected by national law in Indonesia and I imagine in virtually all countries where they exist. Apparently this specimen was by-catch, but it was still shocking to think of this gentle oceanic giant being hacked by a meat cleaver and displayed on a white tiled surface, chunks of meat being doused by buckets of water to counter the slow oozing of fluid.

Although there are absolutely fishers who target protected species for the profit, the reality of accidental catching of a protected species presents a dilemma for the average Indonesian fisher. On a remote island such as Simeulue, does anyone expect to be penalised for selling parts of an already dead manta ray at the market? Is it ethical to ask a fisher to throw back a dead specimen that could boost earnings? How easy is it to land protected species and sell on the black market if you're worried about being spotted by the fisheries authorities? Would they anyway just leave you alone in return for a slice of the manta profit?

I reckon the mental process for a British fisher is the same when a protected species is caught at sea, which must happen as it's incredibly difficult to avoid all indiscriminate loss. Better governance, more accurate collection of landing data and clearer penalties prevent UK fishers from taking accidental protected catch back to shore, so it is likely dumped overboard.

You could argue that it's actually preferable not to throw back something illegitimately but accidentally caught if it can provide food and/or income for someone.

Whenever fisheries authorities conduct any monitoring of Indonesian markets, you can see why they likely turn a blind eye and continue drinking their kopi susu (milky coffee).

These mollusc traders were unperturbed by the manta ramblings.