7 General Tsunami Overview Fisherfolk are amongst the poorest people in the region. They are also one of the most negatively affected communities, particularly in in Indonesia. Fisherfolk and their families have suffered tremendous loss of life and also devastation to their livelihoods, homes as well as their fishing gear and boats. The aquatic diversity of the region has also been devastated by the tsunami. Coral reefs have been destroyed by the force of the waves and are now choked with silt. Mangrove swamps and coastal breeding grounds for fish and other aquatic organisms have been severely damaged. The impact of the tsunami has aggravated the problems already faced by fisherfolk of increasing pressures on the coastal environment from increased tourism and industrialised forms of fishing. It is important that relief efforts channel support to fisherfolk's own existing local and regional groups and aim to support the artisanal fishing sector. There is a concern among fisher communities, voiced by organisations of small-scale fisherfolk that relief efforts should focus on re-establishing the artisanal fisheries sector as a priority. In NW Aceh and Nias, an estimated 10,000 small fishing boats, out-riggers and fishplatforms, need to be replaced. The industrial fishery sector, which although an important foreign exchange earner in Sumatra's impacted areas,  was over-capacity and donations of decommissioned industrial fishing boats would make the situation worse. Fuel Cost Crisis All small boat owners in Indonesia have been hit hard by the recent impact of rising global oil prices and the new National Government's determination to eliminate crippling fuel subsidies regardless of the political cost.  Automotive Petroleum prices increased from Rp1,450/ltr in 2003 to Rp4,500 in October 2005 and reliable sources are confident that the price will stabilize at around Rp8,000/ltr by mid 2006. Kerosene (Rp3,000/ltr) and Diesel (Rp4,300/ltr) have followed the trend. The country has enjoyed subsidized fuel for so long that the entire fishing and marine transport infrastructure has developed without much concern for operating costs. Current boat/engine combinations are not economically feasible at current fuel price levels let alone anticipated prices for the near future. A radical new approach is needed to avoid mass unemployment and social unrest not to mention further deterioration of fisherfolk's already desperately poor living & health standards. Where as rural and urban communities in Indonesia can choose to use public transport,  small capacity motor bikes, bicycles or even walk to their work place, the majority of fisherfolk must have a seaworthy boat to reach off-shore resources. In most cases, existing boat owners can not simply use existing boats and buy more economical engines and hope to travel far enough out to sea to find fish. The only solution is the widespread adoption of new designs, new building techniques,  new materials and to combine this with training to introduce modified fishing methods that best suit the specific fishery in each area. The technical solutions must be low cost, easy to repair and safe.  Micro credit will be a critical part of the equation as boat owners will need help to bridge the transition period. Island Aid donated fishing lines and gear to 39 fishermen in the Pulau Raya - Patek area of NW Aceh. 8 year old Isfan shows us the first fish that he and his grandfather had caught since the tsunami. Boat Building Artisanal boat building has increasingly faced the loss of traditional boat building materials.  Either the materials are no longer available or the size and quality of remaining stocks are unusable.  Where traditional materials are available they have invariably become unaffordable as the global economy draws the materials away to lucrative (for some) luxury markets.  As a result fishers are often forced to keep old and un-seaworthy craft in operation in spite of the risks that this poses. New materials and building methods can often offer appropriate alternatives in such situations, optimising material use and building lighter faster craft.  Skills can be transferred to local artisans and thereby sustain livelihoods in both boat building and fishing. Sailing is a dying art in many small-scale fisheries.  New craft are often not suited to the use of sail unlike the traditional craft that had seen centuries of optimisation for such propulsion.  However, modern craft designed in close collaboration with forward-thinking fishing communities may be a way to sustain some fisheries in the face of rising fuel costs.  Motor-sailing too offers opportunities to reduce fuel consumption in certain fisheries and conditions.