KUALA LUMPUR – The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is urging the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry to pay serious attention and take swift action against illegal fisheries that prevent proper fish reproduction rates in Malaysian waters.
According to CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader, this ongoing issue is not only affecting coastal fishermen’s income but can also cause the extinction of fish resources in the near future.
In its observation, CAP identified that the ‘pukat rawa sorong’, ‘pukat apollo’, ‘pukat siput’ and ‘bubu naga’ traps have been used prevalently on top of trawlers, machinery that has threatened fish reproduction for over 40 years.
“The usage of bombs among fishermen in Sabah has led to the obsolescence of fish eggs and corals in the state’s waters.
“Fishermen from foreign nations, particularly Vietnam, have also invaded the East Coast, stealing produce with their trawlers and resulting in RM4.25 billion in losses per year for Malaysia.
“Every day, thousands of tonnes of sea life’s eggs are destroyed due to the heavy usage of trawlers.
“A single trawler is able to catch and kill over 60% of baby fish that cannot be eaten or marketed,” he said.
While the produce and income from local fishermen are reduced by over 50% each time they go to sea, Mohideen pointed out that consumers are also burdened with the excessive price increase for fish in markets.
According to the Fisheries Department, the supply of fish in Peninsular waters is at a critical level after recording the biomass of current demersal fisheries, where only 4.4% is left as compared to 60 years ago.
Research conducted in 2016 discovered that supplies for demersal fishes including croakers, threadfins, purple-spotted bigeyes, prawns, and squids have depleted from 743,345 metric tonnes to only 21,002 metric tonnes.
“Since the 1980s, CAP has protested and offered numerous suggestions to the government regarding this issue, including tightening laws and banning trawlers in order to prevent aquatic life from extinction.
“We worry that the nation’s sea resources will only last for 30 more years if uncontrolled fishing continues.
“CAP supports the actions of nations – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Palau, and Belize – for banning trawlers, and Indonesia’s decision of destroying illegal trawlers trespassing their coastal areas.
“As such, Malaysia should follow in these countries’ footsteps to guarantee sufficient food sources for the future,” he added. – The Vibes, September 29, 2022
