LABUAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ((MMEA) Labuan is intensifying operations against intrusion into restricted areas of marine parks and oil and gas platforms within the waters the duty-free island.
Its operations officer Lieutenant Captain (Maritime) Nik Ezwan Mat Daud said the operations were necessary due to the rising number of complaints on illegal fishing activities using hand-made weapons within the Kuraman Island’s marine park waters.
“Members of the public have tipped us off on such activities and given us information that there are fishermen uisng homemade weapons like spear guns heading out to Kuraman Island,” he told Bernama today.
Nik Ezwan said the MMEA has received complaints on the negative effect of such illegal fishing and has stepped up action to nail the culprits and stressed that it was a timely move.
He also said the MMEA had not received information on fish bombing activities but would monitor the situation.-Bernama