Endorsing sustainable beje harvest in Barito Selatan
South Barito - It has been three years since the last beje harvest in Batilap Village, Dusun Hilir Sub-district, South Barito District. No less than 150 kilograms of local fish, such as toman and biawan, were caught from a 50-meter square beje pond earlier that day, on a sunny August. That morning's harvest has been promised to the buyer said the beje owner, while grilling fish for lunch by the pond attended by locals, representatives from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), the Food Security, Agriculture, and Fisheries Service of South Barito District, along with IFish Project and FAO teams.
The owner said that beje pond was originally a natural one which was later expanded by the community. Beje itself is a trap pond and nursery ground that is formed naturally or artificially. Beje ponds naturally formed by fallen trees, they are about 2-3 square meters and shallow. Their locations are close to swamps or peatlands nearby large rivers, which overflow during the rainy season. During floods fish from the big rivers enter the beje through channels called pelacar. When the flood recedes, fish are trapped in beje ponds to be harvested in the dry season.
“South Barito District has a beje fishery which is an ancestral heritage as a form of sustainable fishing activity. Beje has ecological, biological, and economic benefits. On the ecological aspect, beje becomes a natural place for fish to breed and nurture, on the economic aspect, beje can become a source of income for the community," explained Yayan Hikmayani, National Project Coordinator for the IFish Project and Head of the KKP Center of Fisheries Research.
IFish project supports the implementation of beje as one of the local wisdoms in managing inland fishery resources with an ecosystem approach in fisheries management (EAFM) and an ecosystem approach in aquaculture (EAA). This year the project procured pumps and selambau (nets) for the community to use in managing beje. An expert discussion held in 2020 by the project resulted in recommendation to avoid digging to deepen the beje pond, as it will cause in chemical imbalances which may result in fish death. Therefore, the sludge sediment periodically needs to be removed using pumps, so that the beje no longer needs to be dig.
"We appreciate the provision of a pump and selambau from IFish project to be used at the beje in Batilap Village," said Damang Yusep T. Aceng, the customary leader of Kedamangan Dusun Hilir. "This pump is useful for removing layers of mud sediments and helps in draining water during harvest so we can be more efficient," he continued.
In the future, the IFish project will encourage the management of beje harvests through village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) in accordance with recommendations for sustainable beje management. The project also endorses post-harvest activities such as processing and marketing for fishery products via BUMDes.