November 21, 2025 | 10:00 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Eating fish has become a luxury for Usman Bode. The 55-year-old fisherman from Kawasi village on Obi Island, South Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, can no longer rely on the waters just steps from his home as a source of food. To catch snapper, grouper, or tuna, he must venture far out to sea—several miles from his village—because the coastal area yields almost nothing. “If we want to eat fish, we have to go far, and it costs a lot,” Usman told Tempo on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
Many fishers tell the same story. Abadan Nomor, 54, has witnessed the change firsthand. He said the coral reefs in front of the village are now smothered by sediment and silt. “What can we catch here? There are no fish left,” said the fisherman, who is also an imam at the village’s mosque.
Villagers worry not only about dwindling catches but also about whether the seafood they do find is safe to eat. A few months ago, a resident caught a red grouper whose flesh was speckled with black spots. The fish was thrown away, deemed unsafe. Last year, hundreds of dead fish washed ashore along the village’s coastline.
Villagers suspect these changes are linked to the operations of Trimegah Bangun Persada, or Harita Nickel, which began operating on Obi in 2010. At first, Kawasi residents welcomed the company, hoping it would bring economic improvement. But as mining expanded and the smelter went into full operation, the environment changed quickly. Mud, dust, and increasingly murky seawater became their primary complaints.
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