\'Shrimp City\' That Has No Shrimp

Kompas/Aditya Putra Perdana

The crew of a cantrang (seine net) fishing boat prepare to go out to sea on Thursday (15/2) at the Tasikagung Beach fishing boat harbor in Rembang regency, Central Java.

For centuries, shrimp has been the mainstay of the people of Cirebon, West Java. In fact, the name Cirebon is derived from ci (water) and rebon ( small shrimp). However, it is difficult to find shrimp in Cirebon today. Only four golden sculptures of shrimp remain, perched on top of Cirebon City Hall.

The disappearance of shrimps in the city is inseparable from the destruction of marine ecosystems, one trigger of which is the increasing use of environmentally unfriendly fishing devices. The environmental damage is hurting the fishermen’s livelihood.