KUALA TERENGGANU: Pelagic fish are abundant in deep sea fishing ground beyond 100 nautical miles which can provide bountiful harvest for fishermen .
Such harvest by the fisherman would also help stabilise demand and prices in the local markets.
Research by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC) showed that pelagic fish are abundant in deep sea areas near the Malaysia-Vietnam border which had yet to be exploited by local deep sea fishermen.
“We have 1,190 deep sea fishing vessels and 400 vessels are operating from three major fish landing ports in the east coast. Unfortunately, less than 10 per cent of these fishermen operate beyond 100 nautical miles.
“In fact, most of these deep sea fishermen prefer to operate in waters less than 100 nautical miles and most of the time take the risk of infringing the terms of their licence by encroaching in areas designated for coastal fishermen,” said Fisheries director-general Datuk Munir Mohd Nawi.
He said skirmishes with fishermen of foreign vessels should not be made an excuse because such threat could be neutralised by working as a large fleet within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zones and in international waters.
“They are encouraged to work in large fleet to reduce security and safety risks and net more fish by working over an extended period. Their presence in large number also can help deter encroachment by foreign vessels.
On whether the lack of modern fishing ships equipped with blast freezers to keep fish fresh, Munir said it would be a future endeavour by companies willing to invest in such operations.
“Such ships will be more comfortable for the crew, hygienic, stay longer at sea because it will be equipped with blast freezer or processing facilities. One company is already showing interest in such venture.
“Present deep sea fishing vessels are made of wood, unhygienic, uncomfortable to work in, no blast freezer that can keep fish fresh for a longer period and has no processing facility. One such vessel would be launch next year,” he said adding the costs of a deep sea vessel is about RM1.5 million while a modern steel vessel costs about RM5 million each.
Asked if the government had revoked any deep sea fishing vessels, he said 472 licenses were revoked since 2015 for breaching the terms and conditions.