The Fisheries Department plans to build more artificial reefs to boost the fish population and help overcome the shortage of fish.
The department’s director-general, Datuk Ahamad Sabki Mahmood, said the plan called for creating 50 artificial reef sites in the country’s waters to act as fish nurseries or breeding grounds for marine resources.
The department is seeking RM25 million from the Federal Government to carry out the project under the 10th Malaysian Plan.
“Studies conducted by the department revealed that artificial reefs help to boost marine production, and the larger reefs also help to establish new colonies of fish.
“The department wants fishermen to provide their feedback to help us identify suitable locations to create or build the artificial reefs.”
He said this after opening a national-level seminar on the development and research of artificial reefs here recently.
He said the department felt there was a need to build more artificial reefs due to the decline in the fish population, especially in the coastal areas.
There are now 103 artificial reef sites located 50 nautical miles off the country’s shores.
Ahamad said the increase in the number of foreigners working with local fishing boat and trawler owners had resulted in a drop in the catch in the country.
The department learned that the foreign fishing crews would return to their respective countries with the catch, resulting in a shortage of fish in Malaysia.
He said last year the 1,315 deep-sea fishing vessels in the country caught only 315,000 tonnes of fish compared with the department’s target of 349,500 tonnes.
Ahamad said checks by the department revealed that to avoid detection, the foreign crew would switch off the vessel monitoring system (VMS) device which was installed on the trawlers.
“When the device is not active, then the department will be unable to detect the location of the respective trawler.
“The foreign crew will then travel back to their country to unload their catch before returning to Malaysian waters.
“We want the boat owners to ensure that the crew unload their catch at the local jetties and not take their catch back to be sold in their native countries.”
He said local boat owners allowing such practice ran the risk of having their licence suspended or cancelled.
