To develop mariculture in Lampung Bay, farmers face limited resources, such as limited seeds and capital for expensive cages and feed. Supoyo Untung stated that snapper, grouper, and pompano fingerlings are only supplied by the Lampung Mariculture Center (BBPBL). Meanwhile, lobster fingerlings are sourced from local fishermen.
“Meanwhile, manufactured feed costs Rp 18,000/kg or Rp 360,000/sack. There is feed from BBPBL, but it’s catfish feed that isn’t suitable for marine fish,” said Pakde Untung, his nickname, who is also the Head of the Mulya Bahari Fish Farmers Group (Pokdakan) off the coast of Hanura, Hanura Village, Telukpandan District, Pesawaran Regency, last week. Currently, the Mulya Bahari Pokdakan has 10 members and around 120 floating cages.
Untung himself has 16 floating cages (KJA), each measuring 3 by 3 by 3 meters. Eight units are constructed of fiber, a grant from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) in 2014, and the rest are constructed of coconut wood with drum floats. One KJA can hold 300 fish fry. Untung is currently raising 3,000 snapper and 500 grouper using trawls.
Therefore, Untung continued, not many fish farmers remain in the mariculture business. Furthermore, the cost of constructing the cages is quite high. The cost of constructing 18 floating cages made of coconut wood with drum floats is around Rp60 million, with a lifespan of five years. Fiber cages, on the other hand, cost hundreds of millions of rupiah, can last for decades, and are only available with government assistance.
Pakde Untung admitted that there used to be quite a large number of fish farmers off the coast of Hanura, even reaching 78. However, that number has dropped drastically since an algae bloom wiped out fish in fish cages in Lampung Bay in 2012, after PT Pelindo dredged a sea channel at the port and dumped the mud on an island nearby. Most fish farmers are afraid to restart cultivation due to fears of a recurrence of algae blooms, as well as limited capital. Currently, only around 20 farmers remain.
