Indonesian+Fishermen+Struggle+to+Make+a+Living

Indonesian Fishermen Struggle to Make a Living

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Indonesian-Fishermen-Struggle-to-Make-a-Living-116393194.html

Feb 17, 2011

This article is about Indonesian fishermen who have been forcibly unemployed from their work by harsh weather. The fishermen cannot go to the sea because their wooden boats will be capsized by high waves during bad weather. Due to these conditions, the quantity supplied of fish has drastically decreased in the Indonesian market. The determinant of supply in this situation is climactic conditions. This fall in the supply of fish causes a shortage in the fish market, driving up the equilibrium price of fish. The government is giving income subsidies to the fishermen, but nothing is being done to solve the main problem: the fishermen cannot go back to their work. They demand Internet access that will provide them with online navigational information. The fishermen say that the climate has changed so dramatically in the Indonesian sea and pollution has altered the ecosystem so severely that their past knowledge about the sea and the fish are now useless. This shows that a disregard of sustainable development has resulted in these farmers being out of work.

Vocab Unemployment: a situation in which people have no jobs Quantity Supplied: the amount of a good or service which producers offer to supply over a given period Market: a place where products are exchanged Supply: the quantity of a good or service which is needed and is available for sale Shortage: when quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied in a market Equilibrium price: the price at which the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded, so that there is no excess of supply or demand Price: an amount of money which has to be paid to buy something Subsidy: an amount of money given to help a firm which is not profitable, usually by a government Sustainable development: development which balances the satisfaction of people’s immediate interests and the protection of future generations’ interests

Graph Market for Fish in Indonesia

Evaluation The problem of shortage and unemployment results from climactic conditions and environmental problems. This in turn is a result of previous disregard for sustainable development. What the government is doing currently to relieve this problem is simply giving income subsidies to the fishermen’s households. This will not shift the supply curve back to the right to eliminate the shortage of fish in the market. The determinant of supply here is the state of technology: they need Internet based navigation devices and better boats to overcome high waves. The government income should be directed to this area. The fishermen households will benefit, and so will the consumers suffering from the high price of fish caused by the shortage.