Miri : Bubuk ,Times are changing

 

Times are changing.

Krills used to netted by a triangular net called PAKA in the shallow waters of the Luak Bay. For more than 20 years I watched fisher folks, usually husband and wife  go down to the shore and net the krills.  It was an annual joy for me. Taking a walk to the beach in the early morning was refreshing.

The added joy was seeing many people enjoying catching the tiny shrimps which came on shore by the school!! The water would be a be pink and fisherfolks knew that it was time, after the Lunar new year.

Some fishermen came from as far as 20 km or more just to net about 15 kg of the shrimps to make shrimp paste or belacan.

2 or 3 kgs of krill would make only 1 kg of belacan. So 15 kg of bubuk would be enough for a small household to use for a year.  Those who would like to sell some belacan would try to net more. So during a good season, the fisherfolk would come every day to net as much as possible. It is not easy to push the paka against the sand. The heat would often be too much for even the very strong.

The Krill season is after the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. In the past the Luak Bay would be full of onshore fisher folks looking for krill or bubuk. Nowadays with the pandemic, few people would come down to the shore to net the krills. Furthermore in the last few years, powerful boats have taken over the simple fisherfolks' joy. Once these boats dot the sea to net the krill, very little of the krill would reach the shore.

Local fishermen with their own boats, and towkays' Indonesian labourers now go out to the sea further away from Miri with bigger pakas and more powerful boats to net the krill. The Paka is attached to the fast moving speed boats. More bubuk can be netted that way. And cleaner too according to most customers.

I miss going to the beach to watch the husband and wife team walking along the shallow water, trying to net their annual catch. Times are really changing.

Like many farmers' wives, t he fishermen's wives are also saying that they can buy their bubuk fritters and fresh bubuk from the market, no need to break their back. They too are accepting the changes of lifestyle.