ALOR STAR: The Fisheries Department today warned that strict action will be taken against fishermen who violated the terms and conditions of their fishing boat licences.
It deputy director-general Wan Muhammad Aznan Abdullah said trawlers breaking the rules would have their licence suspended for a year.
"The suspension is to curb the violations from recurring. In addition to fines, the catch will be seized and auctioned off," he said in a statement.
He also said the issuance of new licences, on the other hand, would be based on the existing marine resources.
"The department is responsible for issuing fishing vessel licences and catching equipment based on the existing resource status.
"As of today, the department has frozen the issuance of new licences for three Coastal Zones - A, B, and C. Only licences for Zone C2 (inland sea) and C3 (Indian Ocean) are still being considered for applications," he said in a statement.
Aznan said such enforcements were also being carried out against encroachment by unlicensed trawlers to ensure the sustainability of the country's marine resources.
He added that unlicensed fishing vessels was one of the many factors that contributed to the recent shortage of marine life catches affecting fishermen in Kedah.
"During the Northeast Monsoon season (November-March), the landing of fish in the East and West Coast waters is also affected.
"This can occur due to climate changes such as the influence of currents carrying plankton, prolonged rain, excessive freshwater input from rivers and other temporary factors.
"It can also occur if the uncontrolled use of illegal equipment like "pukat mata 300" and "bubu naga", and if there is intrusion into fishing zones," he added.
Meanwhile, he assured that the department would constantly work towards increasing the abundance of marine resources as fisheries resources contribute massively to the country's gross domestic production. (GDP).
"The country's fishing resources have contributed 11 per cent to the agricultural GDP with a value of RM14.8 billion. 114,979 marine fishermen have contributed to 76 per cent of the country's fish fishing resources, which are the results of fishing catches with a value of RM10.8 billion
"The department has been carrying out resource enrichment since 2012 until 2021, with a total of 2,842 artificial reefs anchored in all Malaysian waters in order to increase productivity.
"In order to accommodate the output of the country's fishing resources, the aquaculture industry has contributed 24 per cent with a value of RM3.43 billion. 0.1 per cent was contributed through inland fishing worth RM93 million," he added.
On Friday, it was reported that more than 1,000 coastal fishermen in Tanjung Dawai claimed that they were struggling due to depleting catches for the past six months.
The fishermen claimed that at times they returned empty handed as the fish population in nearby waters said to be increasingly scarce due to unregulated use of illegal fishing nets or 'pukat mata 300'.
It was also reported that a fisherman Md Rozi Md Nor, 52, claimed that he had applied for a licence three years ago to venture into deeper sea but it has not yet been approved.