SHAH ALAM: The government must take urgent steps to stem illegal fishing in Malaysia's waters or risk disruptions to its food security and threats to its national security, a consumer group has warned.
Malaysia must also work together with regional and international partners to address the problem in order to build a solid front against those openly violating Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam (CASSA) president Datuk Seri Jacob George told Sinar Daily.
He said China remains the worst offender and the failure to act against illegal fishing by Thailand and Vietnam had given the impression that Malaysian waters are easy pickings for large scale illegal fishing.
"In the past, Thai and Vietnamese fishing boats used to carry out illegal fishing at Malaysian waters. This has been going on for some time. China saw this and started coming in big time and flexing their muscle with their maritime ships at our shores,” he said.
George said the effect of this unchecked illegal fishing in Malaysian waters could potentially cause shortage of fish and other marine food products, harming not only the livelihood of Malaysian fishermen.
"Fishermen are already one of the poorest groups in the country. Combine this with a smaller catch and where does this leave them. And let's not forget that shortages lead to higher prices for consumers.
"Failing to act is directly affecting Malaysian consumers. And what kind of message are we sending to those who are in our waters illegally fishing? That Malaysia does not have the means to enforce its rights in its own waters? This must not be allowed to continue,” he said.
In May, U.S., Japan, Australia, and India unveiled a maritime initiative at the Quad summit in Tokyo to curb illegal fishing by China in the Indo-Pacific, Reuters reported.
The report said that the maritime initiative will use satellite technology to create a tracking system for illegal fishing from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific by connecting surveillance centers in Singapore and India.
George urged Malaysia to join this international coorporation as Malaysia singlehandedly would not be able to stem the tide of illegal fishing fleets in its waters.
"A common platform as the one set up by the US is crucial to tackle this to act as one against China because individually, I don't see Putrajaya reacting to China. They may be intimidated by the Chinese even if they know the Chinese boats are encroaching into our waters,” he said.
National Fishermen's Association chairman Abdul Hamid Bahari was previously reported as saying that local fishermen estimate a decline of up to 70 percent in fishes sighted off the seas, especially in the northern part of peninsular Malaysia.
That is from more than a million tonnes down to about 300,000 tonnes a month he said, adding that this has also caused the fishermen's earnings to decrease. The same report quoted an unnamed source from the Fisheries Department attributing the declining catch to unreported and unregulated fishing activities.