Inadequate data hampers fishing industry

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MV Seafdec 2 vessel. — Photo by Chimon Upon

MV Seafdec 2 vessel. — Photo by Chimon Upon

KUCHING: The state’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is known for its rich marine resources but the lack of research data over the years has made it difficult to formulate a policy to create a competitive fishing industry while ensuring sustainability.

Ever since KK Manchong – a fishery research vessel under the state’s Marine Fisheries Department – was decommissioned some five years ago, the state had to solely rely on research collaboration with the Malaysia Fisheries Department and Thailand-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (Seafdec).

According to Malaysia Fisheries Department’s Fishing Research Institute head of Ecology Research, Alias Man, Sabah and Sarawak waters had the potential to produce 456,940 metric tonnnes of pelagic fish but this was based on a research carried out in 1998. Of the figure, the state recorded 196,278 metric tonnes of fish landing equivalent to about 43 per cent.

In 2013, the state Marine Fisheries Department recorded 22 per cent of fish landing but this was based on the study
from 18 years ago. Meanwhile, the fish landing trend of neritic tuna in the state waters from 1981 to 2014 recorded an increase – from 1,500 to over 5,000 metric tonnes last year.

“There have not been any studies carried out since 1997 on fishery resource potential and we need to know the latest inventory. There is a void in our research which is crucial in formulating policies to ensure we can fully utilise our fishery resources.

“At the moment, we are not sure of the resource potential or the condition of our waters for marine life,” Alias said when met on board MV Seafdec 2 recently.

He leads the Malaysia Fisheries Department research on board Seafdec’s research and training vessel that is currently conducting studies on 196 fishing stations in Sabah and Sarawak’s EEZ.

The vessel activities focus on three specific areas namely fishing research and training, oceanographic surveys and on-board navigation and engine training. The team is able to conduct sampling on an average of four to five stations per day.

“Our studies are on fishery resources, type of marine species, sea-bed soil condition and sustainability of resources. Our team consists of officers and researchers from the Fishing Research Institute and Fisheries Department. We are also collaborating with students and lecturers from Unimas (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak),” he said.

He mentioned that reports on survey progress would be presented to a steering committee. The nationwide collaborative studies also involved Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Alias said it was important that the state had its own research vessel to conduct studies on its rich marine resources to develop its deep-sea fishing industry.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu announced recently that talks between the state and federal governments for a new state-of-the-art research vessel, costing around RM35 million, was positive.

Seafdec is an autonomous inter-governmental body established as a regional treaty organisation in 1967 to promote fisheries development in Southeast Asia. It specifically aims to develop fishery potentials in the region through training, research and information services to improve food supply through rational utilisation of fisheries resources.

Seafdec comprises 11-member countries namely Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. It lends its research vessel for a few months amongst member countries on a five-year rotation. Thus far, Seafdec survey here in 2005 and 2010 has yielded glowing results.

MV Seafdec 2 was commissioned by the Japanese government to conduct fishing surveys and training operations in the coastal waters of of Asean countries, in response to resolutions passed at the Asean-Seafdec Millennium Conference.