KUALA LUMPUR: The Fisheries Department is working to update the Fisheries Act 1985 to ensure that offences, particularly those involving foreign fishermen, can be taken to court.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the department will also step up enforcement effort and continue to cooperate with enforcement agencies such as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and navy to curb the encroachment and illegal fishing problem.
"I am taking this intrusion issue seriously as our waters are our source of wealth. I however admit that the enforcement is not an easy task," he said when contacted by the New Straits Times.
Shabery said that vessel inspection and verification of equipment will continue to be conducted with the target of 25,000 vessels a year.
"We also recommend installation of chip system on local vessels to allow for easy identification," he said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said plans are underway to recruit fishermen as volunteers and act as the "eyes and ears" of the MMEA in identifying and locating foreign fishing vessels in the Malaysian waters.
"The Dewan Rakyat, in October, passed the MMEA (Amendment) Bill 2017, which allows the recruitment of volunteers particularly among fishermen to help the enforcement effort.
"It is like an empowerment to the fishermen. I believe it will take about two months more before the bill can finally be implemented as a law," he said.
Shahidan also concurred the need to amend the Fisheries Act to provide stricter sentence against foreign fishermen caught trespassing.
He said MMEA and the department were faced with various challenges in terms of enforcement as the foreign fishermen were known to be using various tactics to avoid arrest including use of fake registration number, cloned boats and flying the Jalur Gemilang.
"While I support the suggestion to amend the Act, it is up to the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry to decide.
"Nevertheless, the MMEA should continue to conduct more operations particularly those in-collaboration with other relevant enforcement agencies," he said.
The NST through its article on Thursday, titled "Marine Agencies Play Blame Game" revealed that the lack of power and inadequacies in laws were believed to be among the reasons for the challenges faced by the enforcement agencies in carrying out enforcement against foreign fishing vessels.
The article also revealed that enforcement activities were hampered due to insufficient cooperation between MMEA and Fisheries Department.
It was also reported that Malaysia loses some 980 million tonnes of fish worth RM6 billion every year following the intrusion by foreign vessels into the Malaysia's s territorial waters.