16 June 2025
Harita Nickel held the Obi Fishing Tournament 2025 entitled “Let's Keep Our Sea” on Saturday-Sunday, June 14-15, 2025 in the sea of Kawasi Village, Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku. The fishing tournament, which has entered its fourth year, is a routine agenda of Harita Nickel with its operational community to promote the biodiversity of Obi sea waters.
Chairman of the Obi Fishing Tournament 2025 Committee, Ferry Mangindano, said this year's fishing tournament was attended by 135 participants, consisting of 86 local residents and 49 company employees. The fishing area is around Harita Nickel's operations in Kawasi Village, which stretches from the Akelamo River estuary to around the waters of Mala-Mala Island. The total prizes provided were worth Rp 29 million.
As of closing time, 94 kg of fish were caught by the participants. The types of fish varied, ranging from snapper, grouper to tuna.
"The actual number of catches is greater, due to the fact that only fish weighing more than 3 kg were submitted to the committee. This shows that the fish in the waters around Harita Nickel are still abundant, proof that its sustainability is still maintained," said Ferry.
One of the participants, Max Sikape (50) with his partner Sonny Tamansa (48), came out as the second winner with 12 points. They managed to catch two groupers and one snapper with a total weight of 22 kg around the waters of Mala-Mala, not far from the company's jetty.
"We would have won first place if the barracuda fish of about 20 kg had not escaped. The fish was in our hands, but it came off," he recalled with a laugh. Even so, they were still happy to bring home the Rp6 million cash prize.
Meanwhile, for the most unique catch category, the title was won by Zulfikri Salim, employee of Harita Nickel who managed to catch a tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). However, the shark was immediately released back because of its important role in maintaining the marine ecosystem's health.
Obi Fishing Tournament 2025 was highlighted by Khairun Ternate University academic, Prof. Janib Achmad, S.Pi, M.Sc. The professor of Marine Natural Materials Chemistry said the fishing tournament initiated by Harita Nickel is important to foster ecological awareness among the community. According to him, awareness of fish and water conservation is closely correlated with marine ecological patterns.
"Later, the catches of the participants will confirm that our waters provide fish in diverse numbers and types. Based on that, we can see the size, species, and condition or level of productivity of the existing fishing ground," he explained, during his visit to the fishing tournament.
Director of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Harita Nickel, Tonny Gultom said, the fishing tournament was designed as a means of friendship between the company and the community and at the same time to strengthen awareness of the importance of preserving the sea.
“This year, we feel grateful that this activity is also a platform for cross-party collaboration ranging from internal employees, local communities, village government elements, to all partners who contribute, to jointly protect the sea as a source of life,” said Tonny.
Tonny emphasized that such activities are in line with the company's commitment to sustainable mining and downstream practices. According to him, marine health is one of the key indicators for the sustainability of the company's operations. To ensure the quality of waters around the company's operations is maintained, it conducts regular monitoring with the support of a competent team and modern equipment.
Obi Fishing Tournament 2025 was closed by cooking fish caught by the participants and then enjoyed together.
"The spirit is collaboration. In the momentum of World Environment Day, we invite the community to jointly protect the environment for future generations," he concluded.
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