The women of Maluku know the sea intimately. They can read tides as easily as city dwellers read clocks. But climate change has blurred the signs.
At dawn on the shores of Central Maluku, the tide hums against the sand as a warm breeze carries the smoke of freshly lit hearths. Small wooden boats line the beach, and among them stand the Jambula Mamas; a group of women fishers whose presence has long been felt in their villages, even if rarely seen in national narratives.
For decades, women across Maluku have been the backbone of artisanal fisheries, from nearshore harvesting and traditional baiting to the labor-intensive world of smoking, drying, and processing fish.
Today, as climate disruptions reshape the rhythms of fishing, these women are stepping into expanded roles: entrepreneurs, community scientists, marine stewards, and cultural protectors.
Their story is not one of crisis, though crisis exists. It is a story of agency, adaptation, and possibility.
A Workforce Hidden in Plain Sight
Across Indonesia, women make up at least half of the small-scale fisheries workforce yet their labor is often invisible because it happens onshore or in shallow waters, outside government definitions of “formal fishing.” Maluku is no exception.
In villages like Hitu, Mamala, and Aboru, women take on roles that span the entire fisheries value chain. From narshore fishing using hand lines, gleaning, and small paddle boats. Processing and preservation, including smoking (ikan asap), drying, pickling, and fish floss.
Also as local business ventures, from coastal catering to urban-ready seafood snacks. Coastal stewardship, including mangrove protection and participatory monitoring of local waters and as market negotiations, where women set prices, manage cooperative sales, and maintain economic stability.
The women of Maluku know the sea intimately. They can read tides as easily as city dwellers read clocks. But climate change has blurred the signs.
Yet instead of retreating, the Jambula Mamas have turned uncertainty into innovation.
They’ve expanded into smoked-fish businesses, dried product lines, and even small restaurants, reducing dependence on daily catch.
Several groups now partner with university scientists to document spawning seasons, water temperature changes, and fish migration which crucial data for adaptation planning.
Women-led mangrove planting is reviving nursery habitats and protecting shorelines from erosion. During the pandemic, many turned to WhatsApp groups, Instagram markets, and community delivery services, discovering stable new customer bases.
Policies have not kept pace with reality. Women often struggle to access social protection schemes or fishing permits because they are not recognized as “sea-going” fishers.
But change is emerging from the ground up. In several Maluku villages, community leaders have begun: registering women as fishers, establishing women-led cooperatives, forming local rules to protect nearshore waters from industrial encroachment and integrating women into village-level ocean governance.
The Power of Togetherness
In Mamala, a newly formed cooperative of 23 women fish processors meets every Wednesday under a breadfruit tree. They pool resources for packaging, agree on fair pricing, and plan strategies to access bigger markets.
Their fish-floss products now reach Ambon city and nearby islands. Some have even begun exploring partnerships with local tourism operators to supply ready-to-eat seafood snacks.
These may seem like small steps, but for coastal communities, they signal a profound shift: local women emerging as economic anchors and guardians of marine health.
A Sea That Holds Both Memory and Future
Before sunset, the beach glows gold as the Jambula Mamas return from their day’s work—some from smoking sheds, others from shallow waters where they gleaned sea cucumbers and shellfish.
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