Have you ever thought that only men do fishing? Or have you ever thought that there are also women working in fishing? I am Jeni Tamu Apu, a student in Yogyakarta with other students who had the opportunity to take part in an exposure held by Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta at Sadeng port, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta (04/02/2023).

 

In the exposure activity and discussion, we were divided into groups to observe the activities of the people there. I joined a group to discuss with the fisherman's wife named Rustini. She assists her husband to become a fisherwoman. It means that she collects and processes the fish. Usually, the fish are sold directly in the market or for self-consumption. The fish can be processed into various foods by collaborating with other women who work at home. She makes multiple processed fishery products, such as meatballs, nuggets, tofu, floss, and otak-otak. In one month, the women's group processes fish three times, each process consumes ten kilograms of fish. The income or profit earned is uncertain because the market is only around their houses.

In the discussion, we asked why the women did not use social media. Rustini said that they have minimum knowledge about social media, and the internet network coverage is not good. The condition made them difficult to optimize social media.

Through this exposure, I see how vital the role of women is to produce derived products from marine, as well as the problem faced by them. The presence of the government is urgently needed to observe the role of social media in marketing, to prepare a supportive human resources network, and to facilitate marketing to improve the fishermen's economy in Sadeng. Information technology-based media will help fishermen to broaden their knowledge of the marine world, to gather information on weather and sea waves, as well as to preserve the sea and its surroundings. ***