Indonesia is one of the countries having vast water surrounds the territory. Based on the results of the International Sea Law Convention (United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea - UNCLOS), Indonesia's sea area reaches 3.257.367 km2, while the land area is 1.919.433 km2. This fact shows Indonesian waters area is larger than the mainland, so it is often referred to as a maritime nation. As a country with vast seas, it benefits people, especially those who work as fishermen.

I did not waste the opportunity to take part in the exposure to Sadeng port facilitated by the Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta regarding the Marine Economy and observe the lives of fishermen to deepen my understanding of Indonesia's marine potency (Saturday, 4/02/2023). Sadeng Port is one of the largest coastal fishing ports in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, located in Sadeng Bay between Songbanyu Village and Pucung Village, Girisubo District, Gunungkidul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta.

I discovered many new things in the exposure, one of which is getting to know fishermen's lives more closely. Becoming a fisherman is hard because they must be persistent and brave to sail to earn money for the family.

I got a chance to dialogue with a fisherman, named Mujito. I was surprised when I heard for the first time that the time taken by fishermen to go to sea was quite long. Especially when using a boat with a capacity of 30 GT (gross tons) and above, it can take two weeks or more. Mujito is a crew member of a 5-30 GT boat type, which spends 5-7 days at sea. Before going to sea, they prepare the capital to spend, especially when they have to rent a boat because many fishermen do not have their boat, so they have to rent one. The catches of fishermen vary, but most are tuna, skipjack, and large-head hairtail (layur). Mujito admitted that their income is unpredictable, especially when the weather is bad, so they have to make several trips to return their capital.

"Collecting every cent to support the family by fighting the sea currents." That is the spirit of the fishermen when going to sea so that they are not giving up on risks but just for fish to support their lives. It is an extraordinary struggle for those who are willing to leave their family to voyage to find a spoon of rice, without any promise to return home with or without fish catches. Becoming a fisherman is a choice to survive and to fulfill daily needs.

People's need for food availability will continue to increase, in line with the increasing world population. The condition challenges the fishermen to be more persistent in their work. Being a fisherman is a profession that needs attention from the government, covering safety guarantees at sea, equipment, capital loans, and the development of the fishing profession itself, so that they can be successful at sea, and thrive in life. Hopefully, this article may be useful for us to give more respect to fishermen, even to think about managing Indonesia's marine potencies. ***