Traditional management practices and the conservation of the gastropod (Trochus nilitocus) and fish stocks in the Maluku Province (eastern Indonesia)

Some coastal villages in Maluku manage marine resources by the system of sasi, whereby stocks are harvested during limited open seasons only. These are determined by the leaders of the community. Sasi is strictly observed in exploiting stocks of the gastropod Trochus nilitocus in the Kei islands and other parts of Southeast Maluku. Harvests have not declined during the past 8 or so years (as long as detailed records have been kept). There were nevertheless especially large harvests at some villages on Kei Besar in 1994, and these may be the first indication of overexploitation of stocks. In Central Maluku sasi was observed in managing trochus stocks at Nolloth village on Saparua It was operated by two villages only on Ambon (n = 15) in relation to fin fish. Stocks of trochus and fish have declined in coastal waters of Saparua and Ambon during the past decade. These declines are probably related to anthropogenic impacts. These may include increased pressure on fish stocks due to: increases in human populations in coastal villages, fall in the value of terrestrial crops, changes in fishing practices, the need for fishermen to increase their incomes in order to pay-off loans, degradation of coastal habitats and non-observance of sasi. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.