Sonny, a Bali man with a contagious smile
So far in my travels I've never had a host so warm and lighthearted as Sonny. The owner of Volcano Beach Bungalows and Sonny Homestay, he was born and raised in Amed and loves the place to this day.
Five years ago Sonny retired from being an Amed fisherman because the fish populations have plummeted so much in the past 15 years here. He used his boat of 20 years to make shelving for his new venture, being a homestay owner and taxi driver for tourists. Still, he bought a boat recently because he misses the beauty you experience out on the water in the early morning here.
Sonny's story goes along with the big-picture story of Amed. Once a small fishing and salt-making town, larger boats from other countries devestated the ecosystems here. In retaliation, the government of Indonesia has sunk multiple ships from other countries fishing in its waters. But so far this is to little avail. Like so many other places, where there once was a healthy fishing town there is now only tourism to keep people afloat.
During our conversation about Amed over beers, Sonny and I laughed at the idiocrisy of fisherman who trawl, fin, and waste the amazing life that the ocean has to offer. But we also recognized that neither one of us knew what to do about it. Here in Amed they used only large hooks and nets sized to let small fish pass through. This allows smaller fish and other creatures to keep growing while also bringing in a good harvest. Its unfortunate to see local knowledge of the sea put to waste because of large, counter-intuitive enterprise.
I'm glad that Amed has been able to adapt and grow into a successful tourist destination, but in the wake of the rapid transition there is still a slight sadness in remembrance of what Amed has previously been.
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| View of Sonny's fishing boat (left) from the bungalows he owns. |
Five years ago Sonny retired from being an Amed fisherman because the fish populations have plummeted so much in the past 15 years here. He used his boat of 20 years to make shelving for his new venture, being a homestay owner and taxi driver for tourists. Still, he bought a boat recently because he misses the beauty you experience out on the water in the early morning here.
Sonny's story goes along with the big-picture story of Amed. Once a small fishing and salt-making town, larger boats from other countries devestated the ecosystems here. In retaliation, the government of Indonesia has sunk multiple ships from other countries fishing in its waters. But so far this is to little avail. Like so many other places, where there once was a healthy fishing town there is now only tourism to keep people afloat.
During our conversation about Amed over beers, Sonny and I laughed at the idiocrisy of fisherman who trawl, fin, and waste the amazing life that the ocean has to offer. But we also recognized that neither one of us knew what to do about it. Here in Amed they used only large hooks and nets sized to let small fish pass through. This allows smaller fish and other creatures to keep growing while also bringing in a good harvest. Its unfortunate to see local knowledge of the sea put to waste because of large, counter-intuitive enterprise.
I'm glad that Amed has been able to adapt and grow into a successful tourist destination, but in the wake of the rapid transition there is still a slight sadness in remembrance of what Amed has previously been.
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