“We open the market every day from 9am, where people could buy a variety of about 15 seafood including fish, crabs and prawns, depending on what is available on that day.
Shalan said fishermen would start sending over their catches between 9am and noon daily. I try to do what I could to help them,” he said. “Some of them could not afford to buy petrol to go to the sea, others may need help in fixing their nets.
“I want the fishing community to be paid fairly for their craft and skills,” he added.Īpart from providing a fair marketplace, Shalan, who is also the founder of an environmental non-governmental organisation called Kelab Alami, also provides other support to help fishermen sustain their livelihoods. “I started going to the sea when I was a small kid and saw how my father and grandfather put their lives at risk to get the catches but ended up being paid less than they deserved. “As a fisherman myself, I understand very well how hard things are for them. “Sometimes, if they only manage to get a small amount of catches, I will not take any charges. He said he would pay fishermen contributing to Pasar Pendekar Laut about 90% of the market price for their catch and retained an average of only about 10% or even less for market expenses. “Middlemen often enjoy a large portion of the profits from these catches, leaving fishermen hardly enough to cover the costs of going to the sea, including petrol expenses,” said Shalan in an interview. “We started operations in 2016 as a way to help fishermen get a fair price for their catch. The market, dubbed Pasar Pendekar Laut, is the brainchild of 35-year-old fisherman Shalan Jum’at who wants to give the fishing community here a chance of getting fair earnings for their hard work. ISKANDAR PUTERI: Located about 40km away from Johor Baru, at Jetty Pak Ngah in Pendas Laut here lies a small market that has been somewhat of a lifeline to some 40 fishermen from around the area.
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