“Waves of Opportunity: Why Com’s Youth are Turning to Fishing”

Fisheries are a big part of livelihood for many villagers in Com. While it is difficult to obtain the exact number of Com’s 3,887 population that practice agriculture and fisheries, it can be assumed that both sectors play a big role in villagers’ life. This is evident from the busy activities along the old Fishing Port area that has become the landing sites for many boats. The port is not far from the zoning area for Marine Protected Area (MPA) established in 2013 with the support from Conservation International.

During an afternoon stroll in early February this year, I noticed that artisanal and small-scale fisheries are practiced mainly by men as seen in many parts of Timor-Leste (except for Atauro Island). It was also fascinating to see their age range that spans from children around the age of 8 to adults in their quinquagenarian. Most of the children just hop on boats with the father or elder siblings and help them with casting nets and collecting the catch. It is part of learning by doing that has taken place from generation to generation.

While observing the busy activities of fishers against the backdrop of Tutuala and its lust green forest that forms Nino Koni Santana National Park, I recognized from a distance a tall, familiar figure maneuvering the engine of a blue, fiberglass boat with three other young boys.  It was Fabião Victor, a 29-year-old villager, who also attended a focus group discussion that I was facilitating early in the day. He happens to be a family member of the Sina Guesthouse where I stayed.

I approached Fabião after dinner and asked him if I could interview him to learn about his story of being a young fisher in Com. We grabbed a few cans of cold Bintang from the local kiosk (shop) and walked toward the front porch of the guesthouse that overlooks the beach, the ports and the national park. 

“So, when did you start working as a fisher? How did it all start?” I asked him while yanking the cold beer to cool me down.

“I already started going to the sea at the age of 9 years old. Every time my uncles went fishing, I always joined them and helped them pull the nets. I could earn a few dollars from their sale. I also like to eat red snappers and groupers. I brought them home so that my mom could make delicious fish soup for me and my siblings,” he responded with a smile.

Fabião is the third son of the four siblings. His father passed away when he was very young.  He learned to be independent at a very young age after losing his father. To him, being a fisher is actually not an option but rather a survival mechanism.

“Six years ago, I was a student of tourism, economic and management at UNTL in Dili. My brother also joined me in the city to pursue his secondary study when I was going into my third semester. Having more family members studying in the city means more financial burden for my mother. So, in 2019 I decided to quit my studies and look for a job. That way I can support my brother with his study,” he recounted.

When Fabião returned to Com, he moved in with his uncle’s family at the guesthouse. His uncle let him use the boat and all fishing gear. He instantly saw fishing as his potential source of income.

“I started to notice that fishers in Com can make good money during high season between September and March. They can earn between USD 500.00 and USD 1,000.00 after each fishing trip. There is always a group of middlemen that wait by the port to buy almost every catch and sell them in Lospalos,” he added.

Early in the day, I learned that the price of fish is set at USD 4.00/kg for any species when buying directly from fishers. Once it goes through middlemen, the price increases by USD 1.00 or USD 1.50. I also learned from the interview that most fishers in Com switch between line fishing and gillnets.

“September to December is perfect month for line fishing for species such as red snappers, yellow fin tuna, mackerels, and groupers. Some fishers travel far to Tutuala or Beaço, Viqueque Municipality in the south coast. Between January and March fishers use gillnets to catch mainly garfish, long tom, mackerels, fusiliers. During this season, fishers predominantly operate nearshore around Com waters as the pelagic fish are often abundant in shallow areas, less than 2 nautical from shore,” elaborated the volleyball player of national league.   

Fabião does not have bookkeeping to track his incomes from fishing as his brother is the one who manages them. He only keeps some money for fuels and boat maintenance.  However, he revealed that with the money he earned, he was able to help his brother complete his studies in Dili.

“My brother just graduated from UNTL last year. I am so proud of his achievements. At least I quit my studies for something good,” said Fabião proudly.

“What are the pros and cons of working as fishers?” I asked curiously.

“Well, the pros are you are working in open space with almost no stress and are not told by anyone to do this and that. Also, you get to earn more money than most of the civil servants in the country. I would say the cons are you have to be brave to go out in open water and navigate through storms and bad weather. We went to the south coast a few times and stayed in fishing boats for three nights. You have to get used to surviving in a very extreme environment with limited food and fresh water. On top of that, climate change has also made weather patterns less predictable these days. It is hard to know when a good time to fish is,” he responded. 

Since young people between the age of 15-35 makes up 36% of Com population, I wanted to conclude the interview with a question about his aspirations for the fisheries sector in Com in the future. Fabião responded with more optimism than I had expected.

“I want to encourage more young people to consider fisheries as a source of livelihood. All young people don’t have to go to Dili or move abroad to find jobs. If we work hard and are brave enough, we can earn good money from fishing in our village. But we also have to make sure that we do something to protect fish stock from depletion and improve fishers’ safety during bad weather.”

I wanted to follow up on his response about protecting fish stock through measures such as zoning and marine conservation. Unfortunately, it was getting close to midnight, and I had to rest early for another trip in the morning. So, I let Fabião make his final statement before we parted.

 “Government can facilitate youths’ involvement in fisheries by supporting them with tools such as boats, nets, and fishing pole. They can also provide capacity building for young people to operate medium-size vessels that can take them to fishing grounds that are far from the shore,” he concluded.

According to Timor-Leste Labour Force Survery 2021, unemployment rate for young people aged 15-24 years is 9.6%. This figure is significantly higher in comparison to the overall unemployment rate of 5.1%. The situation has forced many youth to seek for opportunities in Europe, Asia, and most recently Australia. Fabião’s story offers hope for many other young villagers who are seeking for job opportunities in their hometown. It also calls for further assistance from the Government, private sectors and development partners to invest in small-scale fisheries and increase environmental safeguards for coastal and marine areas.