Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a Research Approach …
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With decreasing fish catch, and the encroachment of bigger fishing vessels within
the boundaries of the island, the local fishermen community is unable to generate
sufficient income for their households. This has led the fishermen community to
resort to two alternative ways of ensuring they can sustain their fish catch. One of
the alternative ways is the illegal use of fish bombs to fulfil their fishing needs. The
fish bomb when detonated immobilizes the reef fish temporarily and makes it easy
for the fishermen to then scoop the immobilized reef fish which is later sold in the
markets as processed salted fish. The indiscriminate and illegal usage of fish bombs is
detrimental to the surrounding maritime environment as the detonated bombs release
hazardous toxic chemicals in the ocean (Woo et al. 2013; Reef Check Malaysia 2015;
Hussin et al. 2015). In addition, fish catch from the use of fish bombs may contain
toxic chemical residues like cyanide and arsenic, and when processed as salted fish
and sold to the market in the mainland, can pose health risks and threats to consumers.
A second alternative for the fisherman community is to conduct their fishing activities further from the island. However this has raised severe concerns especially on
occupational, environmental health and safety issues. Pulau Mantanani is surrounded
by close to three oil and gas platforms located between 25 and 30 kilometres away.
Over the last decades, the lack of fish catch in their usual fishing grounds has forced
the fishermen to encroach within the oil platform boundaries. This is due to the fact
that there is abundance and high diversity of fish population around and under the
oil platforms. As such, this discovery has attracted desperate fishermen from Pulau
Mantanani and also the mainland. The close proximity of the fishermen and their
boats to these oil platforms poses a threat to the platforms as a typical fisherman
would fish right underneath the platforms as fish population beneath the platforms
are in abundance. The risks to the environment and the platform increases when
the fisherman starts a small fire in his boat to cook lunch while he rests under the
platform with his boat tied to the platform. The risk intensifies when the fishermen
detonates the fish bombs near the oil and gas platforms. This pose safety, environmental and occupational threats to the oil platforms which are forced to shut down
their oil extraction process as a precautionary measure. This is not favourable to the
oil and gas company as any cessation of oil extraction activities results in delays
in production which means a reduction in sales and profits. Therefore, it is of great
interest for the oil and gas company to minimize the encroachment of fishermen into
the boundaries of their oil and gas platforms. The challenge the fishermen community face is that they are unable to sustain their current livelihood status with the
existing economic activities on the island which is predominantly artisanal fishing.
Knowledge, skills and capacities in other income-generating activities are lacking
due to lack of opportunities, education and community capacity in other incomegeneration activities. This then further forces the fishermen to risk their lives and
that of the oil and gas platforms by relying on detrimental fishing methods to meet
their daily needs.
Additionally, the local community also lack access to basic facilities like education, health care facilities, and infrastructure. The local primary school on the island,
Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Pulau Mantanani, has one of the lowest passing rates in
the country and as such, majority of the local community members have only com-
681
With decreasing fish catch, and the encroachment of bigger fishing vessels within
the boundaries of the island, the local fishermen community is unable to generate
sufficient income for their households. This has led the fishermen community to
resort to two alternative ways of ensuring they can sustain their fish catch. One of
the alternative ways is the illegal use of fish bombs to fulfil their fishing needs. The
fish bomb when detonated immobilizes the reef fish temporarily and makes it easy
for the fishermen to then scoop the immobilized reef fish which is later sold in the
markets as processed salted fish. The indiscriminate and illegal usage of fish bombs is
detrimental to the surrounding maritime environment as the detonated bombs release
hazardous toxic chemicals in the ocean (Woo et al. 2013; Reef Check Malaysia 2015;
Hussin et al. 2015). In addition, fish catch from the use of fish bombs may contain
toxic chemical residues like cyanide and arsenic, and when processed as salted fish
and sold to the market in the mainland, can pose health risks and threats to consumers.
A second alternative for the fisherman community is to conduct their fishing activities further from the island. However this has raised severe concerns especially on
occupational, environmental health and safety issues. Pulau Mantanani is surrounded
by close to three oil and gas platforms located between 25 and 30 kilometres away.
Over the last decades, the lack of fish catch in their usual fishing grounds has forced
the fishermen to encroach within the oil platform boundaries. This is due to the fact
that there is abundance and high diversity of fish population around and under the
oil platforms. As such, this discovery has attracted desperate fishermen from Pulau
Mantanani and also the mainland. The close proximity of the fishermen and their
boats to these oil platforms poses a threat to the platforms as a typical fisherman
would fish right underneath the platforms as fish population beneath the platforms
are in abundance. The risks to the environment and the platform increases when
the fisherman starts a small fire in his boat to cook lunch while he rests under the
platform with his boat tied to the platform. The risk intensifies when the fishermen
detonates the fish bombs near the oil and gas platforms. This pose safety, environmental and occupational threats to the oil platforms which are forced to shut down
their oil extraction process as a precautionary measure. This is not favourable to the
oil and gas company as any cessation of oil extraction activities results in delays
in production which means a reduction in sales and profits. Therefore, it is of great
interest for the oil and gas company to minimize the encroachment of fishermen into
the boundaries of their oil and gas platforms. The challenge the fishermen community face is that they are unable to sustain their current livelihood status with the
existing economic activities on the island which is predominantly artisanal fishing.
Knowledge, skills and capacities in other income-generating activities are lacking
due to lack of opportunities, education and community capacity in other incomegeneration activities. This then further forces the fishermen to risk their lives and
that of the oil and gas platforms by relying on detrimental fishing methods to meet
their daily needs.
Additionally, the local community also lack access to basic facilities like education, health care facilities, and infrastructure. The local primary school on the island,
Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Pulau Mantanani, has one of the lowest passing rates in
the country and as such, majority of the local community members have only com-