How Indonesians are saving Portuguese fishing

Bahasa Indonesia is becoming increasingly common in Portuguese fishing ports, mixing accents and experiences from a sector that is struggling thanks to foreign labour.

“I know how to say bad words in Portuguese better than other words,” said Ortono, one of hundreds of Indonesians who serve on Portuguese fishing boats, with a smile.

But if Portuguese is “difficult to speak,” the art of fishing is a universal language, said Lusa Zeham, 24, who came to Portugal in 2021 to work in the sector shortly after completing vocational training in his homeland of Pangandaran, on the island of Java.

“I needed to learn the names [dos objetos e utensílios]”But the sea is the sea, and fishing is the same,” said Zeham, minimizing the difficulties of adaptation, praising the Portuguese bosses and comrades.

“They respect our religion very much, we don’t drink alcohol. They treat us well,” explained Zeham, who interrupted his lunch near the port of Peniche to talk to Lusa.

The vast majority of Indonesian fishermen (as well as Filipinos and Malaysians) arrive in Portugal with specialized training in fisheries, and employers cover the costs of travel, accommodation and food in addition to at least a minimum wage.

“At sea we are all equal. There are no nationalities and they [os imigrantes] “They are very good,” said Nuno Pacheco, captain of the purse seine fishing vessel Avô Varela from the port of Peniche.

Unlike many Portuguese people, who “we can’t count on” because “they always fail”, these “gentlemen come here to work, they are available here during the hours we work” and “they are very well trained” in your country of origin.

“We can count on immigrants, they are people who do not tolerate failure,” Nuno Pacheco concluded.

From Zeham Nuno Pacheco hears only praise, even during the regularization process. “The boss has taken care of everything, everything is fine.”

But the boss, a fisherman’s son and his brother’s partner in running two vessels, admitted bureaucratic problems were one of the main obstacles.

The recruitment is carried out by an agency in Indonesia, which allows the quality and qualifications of the candidates to be assessed. However, “it gets more complicated when they arrive,” he explained, citing the example of one of the latest employees who started work in January this year and, even “with an employment contract, certificates and documents in order,” only received a residence permit in July, several months before the end of the seasonal contract period.

Without this, they cannot be registered as captains and cannot go to sea as part of a naval crew. “It was necessary to bring the legislation into line with our reality,” says Nuno Pacheco.

Despite all these problems, the businessman said he continues to work only because he has employees, who already make up 40% of the team. “Without them, I would give up, sell the boats and get out of this.”

The work continues overseas, and preparations are underway on land. On the port pier, near Avo Varela, Portuguese and Indonesians gather to prepare ropes, sew nets, repair damage or clean equipment in an atmosphere of camaraderie and without hierarchy.

The Indonesians “are very technically trained, competent and we work side by side” at sea and on land. “We respect each other very much, we give them the conditions to be here and everyone does their job. They don’t talk to us, we don’t talk to them,” but “we understand each other when we need to,” he said, concluding that language is the only problem in dealing with “people like us.”

Despite this, teams have a universal theme in football and coexistence is also carried out through the belly.

“There is one dish that I really like and they think it is funny. Something like pataniska only with vegetables. But it is really tasty and when they cook it I always go and steal some,” said captain Avo Varela, smiling.

“Last year we had three [indonésios] who came ashore, but one wanted to stay here. We didn’t like seeing him here alone, so he spent Christmas at our house,” Nuno Pacheco recalls.

At a time when anti-immigrant discourse is growing, Nuno Varela has discovered that Portugal’s fisheries cannot survive without foreigners.

While there may be abuses “in some areas” of society, “I feel sorry that there are those who feel that way, because we are a country that is well received in other countries, and I think we have a cultural obligation to welcome “those who are immigrants.

Unfazed by these issues, Zeham loves Portugal and admitted that he would not mind staying, although a return to his hometown of Pangandaran is always just around the corner.

“I have a contract, I’m going to fulfill it, and then I can come back or go somewhere else,” he explained in basic English. But Indonesia is always in his heart. “Of course I want to come back, but I don’t know when.”

Next to him, Ortono, amused, explained why he likes Portugal: “We get paid in euros. That’s good.”