Maluku Islands province is one of Indonesia’s most high-potential fishery areas. Its area is 92.4 percent ocean, so fishing has been central to local culture for generations. Local wisdom guarded and preserved since ancient times, Sasi Laut offers guidance in managing and utilising fishery resources. It is made up of Tutup Sasi (Closed Sasi) and Buka Sasi (Open Sasi).
Tutup Sasi is a prohibition on catching a certain number of fish, on the use of certain fishing gear and on catching fish in certain areas. Every Sasi Laut practice begins with the Tutup Sasi ceremony, marked by placing young coconut leaves on the sasi area. During Tutup Sasi, all fishing activities in the area close to the sasi are prohibited. The Tutup Sasi period can last three months, six months or even a full year.
The Tutup Sasi period follows a time when particular fish species are breeding, so the ban on fishing helps preserve certain types of fish and keeps the marine ecosystem running well. The prohibition on using certain types of fishing gear and the ban on catching fish in certain waters (for example, in conservation areas) greatly help prevent overfishing and damage to the environment. Sanctions such as fines enforce these prohibitions. During Buka Sasi (Open Sasi) people may catch fish using reasonable gear in Maluku Islands waters.
As the customary law of the Maluku Islands, Sasi Laut is highly respected and the community complies with it fully and sincerely. Sasi Laut has obtained further legitimacy through a constitutional mandate requiring the state to recognise and respect customary law and traditional community rights as long as the practices are ongoing and in accordance with the development of society and the principles of Indonesia. This has allowed the people of the Maluku Islands to sustainably benefit from the marine resources in their area.