KUALA LUMPUR – The Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry, through the Fisheries Department, is considering new licence applications for additional equipment for trawl fishing during the monsoon season (PTMT) from Zone A vessel owners.
Its deputy minister, Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi, said vessel owners are required to meet the necessary conditions, such as the vessels must be installed with turtle exclusion devices.
“However, the number of special approvals for PTMT equipment licence is subject to the capacity and resilience of an area compared to existing fisheries resources.
“This is to ensure the fisheries resources can be managed sustainably, reduce congestion in the catch zone and avoid conflicts among fishermen," he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PAS-Setiu) on whether the ministry would consider approving temporary trawl licences for fishermen during the monsoon season.
Che Abdullah said as of October, the Fisheries Department had issued 148 temporary trawl licences for additional equipment to catch shrimp during the monsoon season, which is from November to March.
He said the licence is issued to operators of Zone A traditional vessels in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and east Johor. – Bernama, November 18, 2020
