Intertidal Fishing through Time: Stone Tidal Fish Weirs and Long-term Coastal Adaptation in the Java Sea

Dwi Kurnia Sandy

This paper explores intertidal fishing practices as a form of long-term socio-ecological adaptation through the construction and use of stone tidal fish weirs in the Java Sea. Focusing on Bawean Island and Kangean Island, the study examines these stone-built intertidal structures as maritime knowledge embedded within coastal landscapes. Rather than viewing them merely as fishing devices, this paper conceptualizes stone tidal fish weirs as adaptive technologies formed through dynamic interactions between human communities, tidal environments, and shifting political-economic contexts. Using an integrated archaeological and historical framework, this paper combines archaeological survey, tidal dynamics analysis, colonial archival research, and local oral history. The findings indicate that the placement of stone tidal fish weirs reflects a profound ecological understanding of tidal rhythms and coastal morphology. These structures were typically constructed in areas with strong tidal influence yet relatively semi-enclosed settings. Such configurations enabled sustainable marine resource exploitation across temporal scales. Typological variations reveal both continuity and transformation in form, function, and material. Colonial archives further demonstrate the integration of fish processing practices, particularly salting, into regional trade networks connected to Java Island. The gradual decline of this practice has been driven by mangrove degradation and the adoption of more modern fishing technologies.