High Waves Create Problems For The Fishermen Of Padang

Padang, West Sumatra, Jan 30 (ANTARA) - High waves and bad weather have been creating problems for the fishermen of Padang, West Sumatra, since November 2012. "Fishermen have not been able to catch enough fish for their sustenance," said the Chairman of the Fishermen Communion of Padang, Awaludin Yahya, on Wednesday. He said fishermen require at least 1 ton of diesel fuel to sail for 18 days. According to him, bad weather and high waves make it difficult for fishermen to sail and catch fish. In addition, more fuel is consumed during bad weather. He added that it costs Rp11 million to sail. The average revenue of a fisherman is Rp15 million. "Fishermen only get Rp3 million after paying for vessel maintenance and port administration fees," said Awaludin. He said in order to fulfill economic needs, fishermen need to capture fish in the creeks using nets. One of the fishermen, Jasman (62), has not been sailing for the past three months due to adverse weather conditions. "We cannot sail in bad weather because operational cost will increase, and we don�t have sufficient funds to buy additional fuel," he said.