"Aween Bin Terawin submerges himself in the mangrove swamp to reach a crab cage on the riverbed below. After a moment of suspense, he lifts the cage above the water's surface and inspects its interior. Empty. After stowing the collapsible cage away in his boat, he continues his journey through the vast swamp to retrieve the 40 cages he set early that morning, each marked by a floating bottle tied to string."
"While some Orang Laut groups (meaning sea people) such as the Orang Seletar remain in coastal villages in Johor, others have settled and assimilated into communities in Singapore. The next four cages Bin Terawin retrieves are also empty, until he brings up one hosting a small crab. Too young, he says. Orang Seletar fishers have an agreement to throw juvenile catch back to help maintain populations."
Aween Bin Terawin dives into mangrove swamps to check crab cages, finding most empty and hauling only two crabs, insufficient to cover petrol costs. He set 40 collapsible cages marked with floating bottles. Orang Seletar are an Indigenous sea community along Johor's coast; some Orang Laut groups live in Singapore. Fishers return juvenile catch to help maintain populations. Main livelihoods are dwindling due to shoreline property development, land reclamation and warming waters that reduce mangroves and fish habitat. Nets trap fish as tides change, and barrels assist wading and storing catches. Sungai Temon comprises one of eight Orang Seletar villages with about 2,000 people.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]