FISHERMEN were busy that morning unloading their catch as Abdullah Syam broke up blocks of ice and helped carry and put the fish into ice boxes to keep them fresh on their way to the market.

Abdullah, a fishmonger and resident of Ujoeng Blang, Kecamatan Banda Sakti, in Lhokseumawe, didnt expect to make big profits. In the past few weeks he had to spend more money on ice. It used to be that small blocks of refrigerator-produced ice cost only Rp500