WEST BANGKA - PT Timah again drowned FADs in the sea waters of Teluk Limau, Teluk Limau Village, Parit Tiga District, West Bangka Regency, Tuesday (08/11/22).
This FAD sinking activity is PT Timah Tbk's CSR which empowers the Permai Lestari Bahari Cooperative, Teluk Limau Village to make, drown and treat FADs.
The sinking of FADs which are fish houses is expected to increase the catch of fishermen.
This activity was also attended by the District Head of Parit Tiga, the Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of West Bangka, Fisheries Extension Officers of Parit Tiga District, as well as local fishermen.
Fishery Extension Officer of Parit Tiga Subdistrict Muhammad Arkais Sujud said clump sinking is a form of marine conservation and rehabilitation.
According to Arkais, a program like this must be carried out sustainably so that later the marine ecosystem becomes more balanced
“This activity is certainly very important, especially regarding conservation, as we know that the impact of mining in Bangka Belitung is very massive. So there needs to be a balance between conservation and mining itself," he said.
He hopes that fishermen can maintain and manage FADs that have been sunk today.
“Hopefully PT Timah will remain environmentally friendly in running its business and continue to pay attention to the sustainability of fishing activities. For fellow fishermen, what has been helped by PT Timah is maintained and developed so that the results are sustainable and do not stop here," he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Permai Lestari Maritime Cooperative, Syaiful Bahari, said that this was the first time they had made FADs. Usually, they just make simple FADs using sand and coconut fronds.
Even though they didn't know how to make concrete FADs at first, it didn't discourage them from trying. With guidance, they were finally able to make FADs and drowned.
"Thank God we were able to complete the mandate from PT Timah and the FADs were drowned today," he said.
“Hopefully this FAD can be used by all residents, not just our group. The most important thing is that we can take care of each other,” he continued.
According to him, this is not the only time TINS ??has helped their group. They have given various aids to support the fishermen.
“For us, PT Timah is already too good. PT Timah has given us a lot of help. Starting from the installation of KWH, a freezer with a capacity of 1 ton, 10 coils of wire traps, and a GPS device. PT Timah has given us a lot of help," he said.
Similarly, the Parittiga sub-district head, Madirisa, said that the FAD sinking program was in line with their vision and mission to improve the community's economy.
"So with assistance from PT Timah like this, there have been efforts to get there. Because the Teluk Limau area has great potential for its marine products," he said.
He appreciated the program carried out by PT Timah Tbk because it can maintain the marine ecosystem if it is carried out continuously.
"Hopefully with this assistance, the residents of Teluk Limau can make the best of it. For the fishermen, hopefully, with this program they can increase their catch and can continue to maintain the marine ecosystem," he said.
"Hopefully in the future, there will be more assistance - other types of assistance to maintain the preservation of marine ecosystems such as these fish houses so that there are more points and can improve the welfare of fishermen," he said.
